The First Hardcore Day of 2015

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday on February 4th, 2015, Caleb Strand and I explored the eastern side of Maricopa County and visited Sunflower and Mount Ord on the north and we then followed that to visits to Coon Bluff Recreaton Area on the Salt River and Gilbert Water Ranch further south.  It was a very pleasant day of birding by the day's end with awesome weather and of course, awesome birds!

We arrived at our first stop at Sunflower at 7:40 A.M., where we spent nearly two hours actually north of Sunflower by walking up the Old Beeline Highway.  From the start we had an abundance of birds throughout the entire area, with several surprises.  Upon getting out of the vehicle, we were shocked to have a flock of roughly 30 EVENING GROSBEAKS flying overhead.  The grosbeaks were flying south of the area we parked at (dead end at the end of the road through Sunflower, which is accessed on the west side of the Beeline Highway/Highway 87 at mile marker 218) and they kept going until they landed further south and out of sight.  With the Evening Grosbeaks giving their loud call notes in flight and seeing the white secondaries on the wings and the male's bright yellow coloration in this flock, it really caught our attention.  About a minute later, another flock of about 20 Evening Grosbeaks flew past us and headed south before turning around and circling a few times close to our location before dropping down out of sight.  I managed to get a photograph showing 17 of the Evening Grosbeaks in one frame.

After having these sightings take place, we found 15-20 more Evening Grosbeaks throughout the 1.5 miles we hiked up the Old Beeline Highway.  It was an amazing thing to see, and I believe 20 is the most I have seen of this species in a day in Flagstaff last year.  Caleb and I were shocked at the numbers of these birds, and we were hoping to locate the two that were found by Troy Corman last week and we weren't expecting to find any beyond that.  For a total number of Evening Grosbeaks, I would estimate at least 60 birds in the area as a safe count, most likely more.  Besides the Grosbeaks, we had several other highlights.  CASSIN'S FINCHES were also in the area in good numbers, and Caleb and I estimated 40-50 birds.  It seemed as if these two finch species were everywhere.  Caleb and I would regularly look up on bare tree branches near the tops of trees and kept finding more and more.

Another interesting highlight was hearing a BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW singing on a slope right above our location.  Other highlights we had at this A.B.A. (Abundant Bird Area) among 43 species were SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, HUTTON'S VIREO, BRIDLED and JUNIPER TITMOUSE, CANYON WREN, TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, abundant AMERICAN ROBINS (I'm sure a Varied Thrush is there somewhere), WESTERN BLUEBIRDS, CEDAR WAXWINGS, and more.

One of the coolest sights from the morning was finding a drinking spot where many birds were coming down to drink.  At one point several female Evening Grosbeaks drank in front of us and they were joined by American Robins, Cassin's Finches, and Cedar Waxwings.

The non-avian highlight was a Coues White-tail!

From Sunflower, we ventured shortly to the northeast and up to Mount Ord.  We spent over three hours and most of our time at Mount Ord by hiking down Forest Road 1688.  This pleasant forest road travels south for about two miles, and it is accessed when one reaches the first stand of pine trees when coming up the main dirt road up to Mount Ord.  As usual, Mount Ord was a pleasant place to bird at.  Caleb and I were expecting to get Evening Grosbeaks and Cassin's Finches at Mount Ord after the Sunflower numbers, but shockingly, we didn't have one of either species.  We did get two other finches, with 15-20 RED CROSSBILLS and 4-5 PINE SISKINS.  Our main highlight at Mount Ord was finding a GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, which was a life bird for Caleb and a location first for me.  Near the Golden-crowned Kinglet was also a nice male OLIVE WARBLER.  Other highlights we had at Mount Ord among 26 species recorded were 3 ACORN WOODPECKER, 2 male RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, 4 HAIRY WOODPECKER, 4 HUTTON'S VIREO, BRIDLED and JUNIPER TITMOUSE, 8 WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, ~12 PYGMY NUTHATCH, 2 BROWN CREEPER, WESTERN and MOUNTAIN (3) BLUEBIRDS, and a Tarantula.

After Mount Ord, we went to bird the Lower Salt Recreation Area at Coon Bluff to search for the recently and seen-by-many Harris's Sparrow.  Despite a good effort and two hour search, we came up empty on locating the large sparrow.  Many species were present at the site though, and our best highlight came from finding a flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS up very close and perched rather low in a few mesquite trees.

From the Salt River, we spent our last two hours of the full birding day at Gilbert Water Ranch.  Gilbert Water Ranch was an A.B.A. (Abundant Bird Area) as usual, and we recorded 57 species in the time span from 4:30 to 6:30.  Our best highlight here was the continuing BROWN THRASHER at the southern side of the path that goes between ponds 3 and 4.  It frequented the east side of this path most of the time that we observed it and it crossed over to the west side after being chased by an aggressive Northern Mockingbird.  As expected, the Thrasher was a skulker and was hard to observe in the open for any consecutive amounts of time.  Luckily, we had a few good looks during the time before it lurked back into the dense vegetation.  This was Caleb's first ever look at a Brown Thrasher and it gave him a two lifer day.  Other highlights at Gilbert Water Ranch included the continuing GREEN-WINGED X CINNAMON TEAL hybrid in Pond 4, HOODED MERGANSER drake in pond 2, COOPER'S and HARRIS'S HAWKS, 2 SORA, AMERICAN AVOCET, WILSON'S SNIPE, PEREGRINE FALCON, etc.

It was a great day to be out birding and it's been awhile since I've put in a full day of birding.  Our final tally was 110 species between the four awesome places we visited that really give incredible avian diversity.  Thank you Caleb for an awesome day of birding.

The Only Way to Bird Effectively in Sickness

I've been very sick the last few days, including today.  The nose has been running, my eyes have been hurting, my body is weak, and the scariest of all, my lungs hurt.  Hurting lungs is not a good thing, but they have shown a few signs of letting up as I write.  I hate to stay inside all day and need some sort of daylight or activity to keep myself from going completely down the mental deep end.  As I've written about many strange birding occurrences or stories, I'm about to give you another:  the one and only way to bird effectively in miserable sickness.  It's not too challenging (unless diarrhea is your worst symptom), it basically involves driving to a spot, looking at a bird, and then leaving.  It would take a major highlight bird in my books to get my butt out of the house, especially since I was going to be driving to a spot, looking at a bird, and then leaving.  I've recently bought my first ever XBox 360, and I also left that extreme fun on the couch for a bird, a Maricoper like-bird.  Going into November of 2014, I had 363 birds on my Maricopa County list, and I got four more to bring the total up to 367 before 2014 was all said and done.  And two of those birds were given to me by Caleb Strand.  Strand the Grand has been on a role, and he found yet another bird that would be a new Maricopa County bird for me, a Greater Pewee!  Despite my sickness, it helped me greatly to get out of the house for a little while, hang with Caleb, and look for this Greater Pewee in a roadside grove of pecan trees.  This method involved standing and waiting for a bird to pop up.

This grove of pecan trees is close to Buckeye, Arizona, and is along Fremont Road just north of the M-C 85 Road and is just west of Jackrabbit Trail.  Caleb's lives close by and is constantly finding rarities in this area he lives in at isolated patches of different habitats.  I've thought this pecan grove has looked attractive when Caleb and I have driven by it in the past, and that was proven when the Greater Pewee showed up for Caleb.  He found the bird on Monday the 26th of January at 2:00 P.M.  Caleb and I got to the spot today at about 12:20 P.M.  We started waiting and looking and walking down the street a few times for a short distance.  1.5 hours went by quickly, and my fatigue level was dropping drastically.  I was sure the Greater Pewee was still in the grove, but I was also sure he wanted me to see him another day.  Caleb and I waited, and waited, and waited.  At the last second, I did notice a flycatcher come in that wasn't the numerous Black and Say's Phoebes that we were seeing.  Ironically, it was around 2:00 P.M. and two days later, and yes it was my first ever Maricopa County Greater Pewee!

The Greater Pewee is a flycatcher who's range typically lies in Mexico and southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico.  However, it can be found in small numbers breeding in central Arizona and it is usually a rare but annual winter visitor somewhere in the southwest.  I've seen Greater Pewee at a few locations in central Arizona such as in Gila and Yavapai Counties, but I have never been lucky enough to encounter one in Maricopa County.  Mount Ord and Slate Creek Divide offer seemingly appropriate habitat to harbor this species in breeding season (especially Slate Creek!), but for whatever reason I have never found one in those areas in the Matzatzal Mountains (others have on occasions though!).  At times, Greater Pewees winter in Arizona in riparian areas, groves of trees, and planted groves of conifers at parks or cemeteries.  Maricopa County has had several such records, and Caleb's discovery added to the list.  It was an awesome way to get a bird and lift my dark spirits despite my sickness.  The Greater Pewee may look like a plain gray bird other than his awesome hair-do and bright orange lower mandible.  But hey, it can sure sing.  Jose Maria always comes at the best-of-times!

Caleb and I watched the flycatcher for about 20 minutes as it was active and flew from tree-top to tree-top.  It didn't sing for us, but it did regularly give it's high-pitched "peep-peep" call.  It was a wonderful treat to see this bird, and it was an interesting way to get Maricoper # 368.  Another huge thanks to Caleb, who has given me 3 out of my last 5 Maricopers (364, 365, and now 368).

When I'm sick like this, I guess I'm more of a pewee than a Pewee itself.  I just explained and successfully demonstrated how to bird when your miserable.  If the treasure is sighted, I guess it may make one temporarily feel better.  The Greater Pewee is my first major highlight of 2015.  What do I consider a major highlight?  There's three categories.  One is a life bird, anytime or anywhere.  The other is an Arizona statebird.  The third is a Maricoper, a new bird for my Maricopa County list.  And I must admit, the last one I mentioned is usually what I get the most excited about.  Cheers to 2015 officially being underway!

Jose Maria!

Searching for the Bashful and Boisterous

A good day's worth of birding should usually include searching for birds that are easy to see as well as for birds that are more difficult to see.  It's fun to see both because one won't go home in complete disappointment if some needs are filled and others are meant to be waited for and searched for longer.  There are bird packages everywhere one goes where there will be the common and uncommon, easy to see and the hard to see, etc.  I find myself birding that way when I bird the Arlington and Buckeye area southwest of Phoenix.  It's a great birding area, and it has many neat birds.  With the area's expansive habitats and equally expansive private property acres, it's pretty difficult to bird sometimes.  I just decided to bird the area and I teamed up with my buddy and birding phenomenon Caleb Strand and we searched for the common and uncommon, as well as the easy-to-see and the hard-to-see.  How Caleb and I would fare-that was up to us.  Whether we found the epic avian life or not, it was guaranteed we would give it a good effort.

I picked Caleb up early and we mainly wanted to search the world famous "Thrasher Spot" at the intersection of Baseline Road and Salome Highway as well as a thick riparian jungle that neighbors Caleb's house.  Before it really got light out, Caleb and I decided to cruise through the Arlington Valley's fields in remote hopes of finding a Short-eared Owl.  The toast didn't pop up for us on the attempt and is still burning, but we did see about 8 Northern Harriers cruising through a short stretch.  They always say, "where the harriers fly through the day, the Short-eared Owls will have their night's say".  I abide by that statement, and I'll be back to try again.  But Caleb and I were graced by a fly-by flocks of Sandhill Cranes to start the morning off.  These winged giants are pretty hard to beat.  They are extremely cool-looking and they also give breathtaking calls that really dig deep into one's soul.  It's a peaceful sight and sound, and even a non-birder would appreciate the Sandhill Cranes.  No Caleb and I weren't standing in Willcox Playa to witness thousands of cranes, but a smaller scale is even an immaculate observation to say the least.

An impressive Bald Eagle was seen in shocking fashion as it was feeding on the ground with ravens.  We didn't see it until it was spooked up by my vehicle.  It even landed close by on a dirt berm.  Despite the fact I parked and we got our cameras out, it took off at the last sequence before we got off any killer photos.  Ferruginous Hawks in the Valley also proved to be awesome as usual.  And then it was on to the Thrasher Spot to seek out the hard-to-see and the easy-to-see.  Caleb and I love to visit this area during this time, it's fun to get our year firsts for the Thrasher Spot package, as well as search and bird and photograph the area's special birds.  Thrashers are always a hot commodity, but the Sage Sparrow species come at a high price too for birders.  Once Caleb and I got to the "Spot", we really got into searching for the Thrashers.  Thrashers that were both Boisterous and Bashful that is...

In this season as well as early-March, this location is usually dynamite for seeing four species of Thrashers.  Boisterous Bendire's, Sexy Sage, Cunning Crissals, and Lurking Le Conte's are what can be found here, and they send birders (especially visitors) into a frenzy.  Some folks claim to see Curve-billed Thrashers here at times, but I have never seen one in my many visits here.  It's the wrong habitat for a Curve-billed to thrive.  I'm not doubting my fellow birding folks, but if there was a Curve-billed around I would expect to hear some sort of a whit-wheet.  For such a loud mouth, it would be weird for it to be kept silent.  From the start of arrival, Caleb and I heard Boisterous Bendire's singing his head off.  And if one looks on the mesquite tops, the Bendire's is usually sitting up and is unexposed.  

Thrashers have detailed songs that are hard to tell apart, and most of them are delivered in a monotone fashion with the exception of the Bendire's Thrasher.  He sings his heart out throughout the day, while his shyer residents on site give what sounds to be a half-hearted melody as they slink around in the brush.  This time frame of the year brings thrasher mating season.  While the others aren't ready to say much about their love life from exposed perches, Mr. Bendire's has never had a walk of shame.  And he's obviously proud of it.  

The Bendire's Thrasher is usually the one who makes life easy on eager birders visiting the famous intersection.  You have to love birds like this!

The shy Le Conte's Thrasher is usually the main attraction for visiting birders.  This location is the best spot in the world for viewing the Le Conte's Thrasher.  They are very hard to approach and killer views are usually obtained through a scope when a bird needs to perch on a saltbush.  As one says, there is always that one time where you get lucky.  During the search, Caleb and I stumbled across a very cooperative pair of Le Conte's Thrashers.  We weren't expecting them to be super close like they were.  It must have been something I said, cause they weren't the typical "Lurking Le Conte's".  True to their behavior, they did feel the need to have a branch nearby often.

If this Le Conte's had hopped up a foot more, we may have had some of the best photographs of this species in it's natural history.  The close range was extraordinary, and the bird never popped up out of the branches at that range...

It didn't pop up for us there perfectly, but throughout the observations during the morning we had the pair giving us excellent views, and we were able to obtain some awesome photographs.  We witnessed something I have never seen at the Thrasher Spot with the Le Conte's.  The bird sang high at the top and near the top of mesquite trees several times.  For a bird that is so shy and low-dwelling, he was broadcasting his territory quite well.  It wasn't as loud as the Bendire's and he wasn't as approachable as the Bendire's, but the Le Conte's show was one of the best I have seen of this species.

These were one of the best times I have been able to view the elusive Le Conte's Thrasher, and this was by far my best photograph I have ever been able to obtain of one.  A non-birder wouldn't find this Thrasher to be good looking or even interesting at all, but for the serious birder-it is cool!  Caleb and I both have a dream of being feet away from a Le Conte's Thrasher and getting a ground level shot of the bird running (in perfect focus).  Can we dream?  Yes.  Will that dream come true?  Most likely not.  Here's a story behind the entry photo to our arrival at the Thrasher Spot.  You can see Caleb's awesome head, and he's looking up at a Bendire's Thrasher.  We had two other thrashers to find after un-lurking Lurky Le Conte's.

Caleb soon found a Sage Thrasher after we had luck with others, and that was shortly followed up by a calling Crissal Thrasher to give us a thrasher grand slam.  Sage Thrashers are on average more cooperative for approach, but this one sure wasn't.  Caleb caught up to it in time to get photographs, and minutes later we were on the chase again to look for the Crissal Thrasher.  After some searching, we got lucky and came across a pair of Crissal Thrashers.  They are shy like the Le Conte's Thrasher, but seem to be shy and hard to see on purpose.  If a Le Conte's Thrasher turned into a human, I think it would turn out to be some sort of geek who was made fun of in school and was scared of all the bullies.  The Crissal Thrasher looks like a fiercely mean bird, perhaps the loner on campus who could knock one to pieces with one blow.  That type of person is not easy to get along with, because they just don't want you around.  Perhaps the Crissal Thrasher is that way too, because it's usually a pain-in-the-butt type of bird.  But similar to the Le Conte's, a cooperative Crissal Thrasher perched up in a mesquite.  Caleb, who has never been able to photograph a Crissal, finally got his chance to snap away at a close range.  As I snapped these distant and horrible but still diagnostic photographs, Caleb was a good distance in front of me.  The bill of the Crissal Thrasher is incredible.  Seeing this bird up and perched or any decent look in general is always a treat.

Besides thrashers, Caleb and I took time to look through Sage Sparrow species, and there were a lot of them.  We stuck on the northern side of the area were I found more Bell's Sparrows to be, an observation I made last year.  True to the area, we found at least 7 Bell's Sparrows in condensed saltbush habitat and about 15 Sagebrush Sparrows in more open saltbush habitat.  Here is a shot of a Bell's I was able to obtain.

After the Thrasher Spot, Caleb and I ventured over to the Buckeye area to explore a riparian area on private property (where Caleb has gotten permission to bird) by the intersections of Dean and Beloat Roads.  Caleb has found Winter Wren, American Redstart, Black-and-white Warbler, and more in this dense and promising riparian area.  The Redstart was one I was really hoping to see, because it's an adult male and I've never seen an adult male American Redstart.  We started searching right as we arrived on the spot.

I was expecting the Redstart more than the Black-and-white Warbler due to it's active behavior, but we didn't find the stunning American Redstart in over an hours worth of looking.  However, the Black-and-white Warbler was one of the first birds we saw!  

Black-and-white Warblers feed and forage in nuthatch fashion, making them a very unique warbler.  If one is moving very slowly or is sitting still like the one photographed was the other day, this isn't an easy warbler to spot.

We birded out in the field for a half day before I joined my Mom for an epic hike at a place I haven't explored yet, one that would be good for desert birding.  True to the name of the post, Caleb and I saw both showy and shy birds, a good mix for any day of birding.  Thank you Caleb for a fun time!