Bird'in at the Ranch

Yesterday on March 24th I spent the morning birding at the Gilbert Water Ranch with Mr. Paul Doucett, where we searched for a Brown Thrasher and a possible Greater Scaup. Even though we hit about an hours worth of traffic along the I-10, the ranch made up for that hour by birds and very few people (for this hotspot). We arrived at the spot a little after 8:00AM and birded it for around two hours before we had to leave. We decided to search for the thrasher first, as this would be a lifer for Mr. Paul. I was expecting to get a few glimpses if any looks of the thrasher, but as we walked up to where it has been staying for the winter I saw it near the top of a tree!!!

Brown Thrasher

The bird seemed like it grew to be tame in the last month since I first saw it, there was even a couple walking their dogs by this bird and it didn't care! But before long the thrasher flew down into some very thick brush on the side of the trail and remained in the darkness for the rest of the time we were there. We then started walking towards the "Fishing Pond" where the scaup sp. had been seen. On our way there we saw a couple of beautiful teal.

Blue-winged Teal 

Green-winged Teal

After observing what some were calling a Greater Scaup, which ended up just being the "Average Joe" Lesser Scaup, we set our eyes on a more confusing sight, a Canada Goose viciously attacking one of the Swan Geese.

Canada Goose

We ended the morning with 56 species of bird and some nice highlights. Thanks Mr. Paul for the awesome morning of birding, and congrats on the lifer BRTH!

Birding at the White Tanks???

On September 20th Mr. Paul Doucett and I went on one of Mr. Joe Ford's many birdwalks he leads, at White Tanks Regional Park. The birdwalk started at 7:00AM we arrived at 6:45 just so we would have some time to spare before hand. We waited at the Visitor Center for about a half hour before deciding no one was showing up so we started thinking of a plan B. Here are a couple creatures we saw while waiting.
                                                                     Say's Phoebe

                                                              Black-tailed Jackrabbit

Well after awhile we departed and ended up driving over to the Glendale Recharge Ponds (one of Mr. Paul's favorite spots) When we reached the parking area and started birdingI realized I had forgotten my scope! A scope is almost always needed to bird the GRP's, but we manged to bird the area quite well without one. It did not take me long to find this strange sandpiper hanging with the peeps.

 The sandpiper above has got to be one of the strangest out there! It has the feeding style of a dowitcher and looks like a yellowlegs, folks I present to you the Stilt Sandpiper!!!

 Note the light colored eye brow, the long down curved bill, long yellow legs, lighter colored belly, and its brown scapulars (scaly back).

As we walked further we ran into fellow bird blogger Mr. Gordon Karre and another birder Mr. Terry Blows. Luckily Mr. Terry had a scope and was more than happy to let us use it. Here are some photos of the birds we saw in or around Basin 4.
                                                                 Greater Yellowlegs

                                                                 American Avocet

                                 (Wilson's Phalarope on left and Red-necked Phalaropes on right)

                                                              Semipalmated Plover

                                                                  Least Sandpipers      

                                                                  Belted Kingfisher (female)

After staying in that one area we moved on and ran into Mr. Troy Corman, Mr. Tom Lewis, and Mr. Joey Alsadi where they told us they just had a couple of exotic White-cheeked Pintails. After we talked to them for a while we started walking down to where they told us they were. We did not see the pintails at first but after about ten minutes of scanning I spied them on the edge of a grassy area.

 Even though the birds were not countable they were still quite fun to watch. While I was watching the ducks Mr. Terry said that there were three Greater White-fronted Geese (which I mistakenly called Canada Geese as they flew in) I was exited but also embarrassed, but hey they were my first for AZ, great call Mr. Terry!!!

 Here are a few photos to end the post.

                                                                 Green-winged Teal

                                                                   White-faced Ibis

Thanks for reading this post and it will hopefully not be long before my next one!