You may recall that I left the Hassayampa River Preserve early to attend an Audubon Society volunteer orientation. This meeting was held at the Nina Mason Pulliam Audubon Center which is located along the Salt River near the Rio Salado area. After the meeting, a couple of cool non-birders asked me to guide them on a bird walk on the premises. Of course I wanted to share with them my love for birding, so we headed out after the meeting...
A Loggerhead Shrike came in for a short period and wowed us with some good looks. The shrike was a new bird for the two wildlife enthusiasts I was guiding.
This particular Audubon Center has engaged in a Burrowing Owl reintroduction program for some time and the charming little BUOW is a kind of mascot for the center as this mural under a nearby bridge shows.
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| This female Redhead was flagged as rare on eBird |
We also had a nice selection of swallows flying over the riparian area. We had Northern Rough-winged, Violet-green, Barn, and Cliff Swallows in one area. Green Herons also moved around quite a bit trying to find good spots to roost. Most of the birds we encountered were typical desert species such as Gambel's Quail, Greater Roadrunner, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Verdin, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Curve-billed Thrasher, and Abert's Towhee. Some Black Phoebes and Mourning Doves had also nested at the center. After a nice walk, I said goodbye to the two meeting attendees and departed for home.
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| This Widow Skimmer at the Audubon Center certainly didn't disappoint! |
Three days after Hassayampa, my Mom decided to take me out birding! (Thanks Mom!) Since I needed a lot of birds at the Tres Rios Wetlands and because it wasn't a treacherous location to navigate, it seemed to be our best option. We had a bit of a late start, but I was out birding by 7:30. I had high hopes of finding the continuing male Painted Bunting along with a host of other potential Maricopa lifers.
While walking along the main trail, I had to reacquaint myself with the Red-winged Blackbird's many vocalizations. When I am out birding, I always watch where I am walking. Sometimes I find something interesting - like this Iron Cross Blister Beetle!
As we continued walking, we found some Common Gallinules which were scattered across Tres Rios's many ponds.
Other good birds that crossed paths with us included a Least Bittern, a singing male Western Tanager, a Black-headed Grosbeak, a Lazuli Bunting, and quite interestingly, two Zone-tailed Hawks!
Some of the most abundant birds here included the Cliff Swallows, White-winged Doves, and Eurasian Collared Doves. The doves flew overhead in massive lines of hundreds of birds which reminded me of a WW2 aerial assualt!
Even after four hours of birding, I didn't find any of the birds that I needed. I was pretty bummed, but I still enjoyed everything that I did get to see!
Around noon, we left Tres Rios to try to get some some Maricopa lifers at the Glendale Recharge Ponds. I was hoping to find the previously reported Indigo Bunting most of all. I began scanning the ponds and picked out some Cinnamon Teal, a Lesser Scaup, some American Wigeons, an Eared Grebe, a Redhead, several White-faced Ibis, a few American Avocets. and one Greater Yellowlegs. A few of those birds were late rarities.
After thoroughly examining the basins, I headed on over to the bike path that parallels a stretch of riparian habitat. I found two Bald Eagles and a calling Pacific-slope Flycatcher there!
But alas, no new Maricopa county birds crossed my path. Although the day was a failure in some respects, I still thoroughly enjoyed what I did find. From seeing a Least Bittern's buffy covert feathers for the first time to hearing Red-winged Blackbirds give calls I hadn't heard before, how could I say that I learned nothing? I will always be a student. I will never stop learning.
Godspeed, good birding, and keep learning,
- Joshua
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