October 29th, 2011   Tags: , , , , ,

Pena Blanca Lake, Paton’s

Yellow-rumped-Warbler-Pena-Blanca-Lake-11-1029-01At Pena Blanca Lake, at least ten LEAST GREBES, drake WOOD DUCK, pair of REDHEADS, LESSER SCAUP, GREEN HERON, SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, juvenile BLUE GROSBEAK, couple of LAZULI BUNTINGS, three each of INCA and COMMON GROUND-DOVE, lots of RED-NAPED SAPSUCKERS and hundreds of sparrows. Quality birding! [...]

Leave A Comment    Link: Pena Blanca Lake, Paton’s   Email Post Email Post   Print Post Print Post
October 28th, 2011   Tags: , , ,

Sweetwater Wetlands, Santa Cruz Flats

Crested-Caracara-Santa-Cruz-Flats-11-1028-09A couple of INCA DOVES were showing well here and a ROCK WREN was calling. Around the corral on Baumgartner just west of Wheeler, five CRESTED CARACARA gave excellent views from the road. The irrigation channel opposite had two GREAT and a SNOWY EGRET, which was a surprise. [...]

Leave A Comment    Link: Sweetwater Wetlands, Santa Cruz Flats   Email Post Email Post   Print Post Print Post
October 27th, 2011   Tags: , ,

Continental, Montosa Canyon

Curve-billed-Thrasher-Continental-11-1027-01The highlight was at Montosa Canyon, where I had a brief view of one of two calling BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHERS, but frustratingly I couldn’t get anyone else on it before it disappeared. When we finally found a visible (and calling) gnatcatcher it was a BLUE-GRAY. [...]

Leave A Comment    Link: Continental, Montosa Canyon   Email Post Email Post   Print Post Print Post
October 23rd, 2011   Tags: , , , ,

Rufous-backed Robin

Rufous-backed-Robin-Santa-Cruz-Flats-11-1022-10Whilst birding with Peter and Marianne Hosford in the Santa Cruz Flats south of Eloy, Arizona, I was lucky enough to find a RUFOUS-BACKED ROBIN, a rare visitor to the U.S.A. from Mexico. They are usually found at fruiting trees in riparian or other lush areas, but surprisingly this one was feeding on the ground in a small pecan grove in an area of cotton fields, sod farms and hostile, sparse desert. [...]

Leave A Comment    Link: Rufous-backed Robin   Email Post Email Post   Print Post Print Post
October 22nd, 2011   Tags: , , , , ,

Sweetwater, Pinal Air Park & Santa Cruz Flats

Lark-Sparrow-Santa-Cruz-Flats-11-1022-04Considering the early date, the Santa Cruz Flats were awesome! We found a handsome FERRUGINOUS HAWK along Picacho Highway, and as we watched it disappear over the fields a WHITE-TAILED KITE crossed our line of sight. Two CRESTED CARACARAS were perched up distantly in a hedgerow. Elsewhere we found a PRAIRIE FALCON and a couple of BENDIRE’S THRASHERS. [...]

Leave A Comment    Link: Sweetwater, Pinal Air Park & Santa Cruz Flats   Email Post Email Post   Print Post Print Post
« Newer Entries  
  Older Entries »