The closer I get to #300 for my Maricopa big year the more I want it! It has been driving me crazy! I have never set such a hard goal in my birding career. Sure aiming for 300 species in one year is possible for someone who is able to chase a lot of birds and has a car but I can barely ever chase birds and I don't have a car. However, I am not one who lets low percentages stop me! Like I said in my last post I have been very blessed as to being able to chase quite a few birds from across the Valley (nearly all West Valley) and I must thank all of my friends and family for taking me birding! On December 3rd I had the opportunity to stop by the Glendale Recharge Ponds and see what I could find. I started working the ponds and quickly found a continuing Clark's Grebe.
I then continued my way around the ponds and found my FOY Snow Goose along with a Ross's Goose!
Snow Goose (left)--#297!!!
Setting myself only three species from 300 was crazy! However, I had no way to get out to the East Valley to chase some potential year birds. I was desperate and needed a miracle, and a miracle I received! My good friend Mr. Tommy DeBardeleben had texted me and asked me if I wanted to go on a chasing spree out in the East Valley! I almost asked Mr. Tommy if he wanted to do so before he asked me but I asked God that if Mr. Tommy wanted to go birding with me if he could have Mr. Tommy ask me. Doesn't God work in awesome ways! So early on December 4th Mr. Tommy and I found ourselves at Scottsdale Ranch Park chasing my lifer Red-breasted Sapsucker. We arrived at the spot before the sun had even risen so we decided to check the lake before all of the birds woke up. After picking out a Lawrence's Goldfinch we walked over to one of the trees that the Sapsucker favored. Once we approached the tree the sapsucker must have seen us coming and did the opposite of what most birds do, it flew up to us! At one point the sapsucker looked at me from about ten feet away and flew six feet closer right up to my face! Here's a shot of Mr. Tommy documenting this rarity with his iPod.
The "King Of Maricopa" photographing his second ever Red-breasted Sapsucker for the county
I could have sworn that the sapsucker at one point winked at me!
Red-breasted Sapsucker--#298!!!
After watching this fascinating lifer (for me), Mr. Tommy and I drove over to a lake in Scottsdale that has been good for Northern Parulas in the past few years. The Northern Parula is one of my three nemesis birds (Mexican Whip-poor-will, Northern Parula, and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker). Even though this spot has had NOPAs here almost every winter, Mr. Tommy and I couldn't find anything notable except for a nice Plumbeous Vireo. After we were done looking for the seemingly non-existing Northern Parula we drove over to the Coon Bluff Rec. Site along the Lower Salt River. Our target for this stop was a juvenile Reddish Egret that had been seen off and on at this site. Well all I'll say is today was one of its off days and our best bird was a lowland Bridled Titmouse. We then made our way to the Higley and Ocotillo roads ponds. At this spot there were two potential year birds, Dunlin and Eastern Phoebe. Mr. Tommy scoped for the Dunlin while I searched for the Eastern Phoebe and any other songbirds in the area.
Mr. Tommy birding hard for my 299th bird of the year, a Dunlin!
Before long Mr. Tommy called my name and right then I knew that he had found the Dunlin!'
Dunlin (foreground)--#299!!!
I was pumped! Only one more bird to get before I would reach my year's goal! We continued hiking further through the area when Mr. Tommy said that we should head back to the Eastern Phoebe spot. I, however, had a feeling that we should continue further because the habitat looked to only get better as we got further. Right when Mr. Tommy had turned around to start heading back I spotted a Harris's Sparrow!
Harris's Sparrow
I laughed when I found this bird because it was the rarest bird we saw that day and it wasn't even a county yearbird! Mr. Tommy was quite excited though.
Harris's Sparrow
We continued checking the area until we covered almost all of the habitat. I had to be to Glendale by 4:00 P.M. to go rock climbing with my best friend, and I we were running out of time. We had one more tiny chance to hit 300, and that was to go to Crystal Gardens on our way to Glendale. The last few winters Crystal Gardens has had Cackling Geese but no one had found any yet, so our chances were slim. We had less than a half hour to find a Cackler in the midst of the many Lesser Canada Geese. After scanning for a while Mr. Tommy and I spied a Cackler!!!!!!!! #300!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! However, some confusion happened and the birds took off before I could snap any photos but hey, I can't argue with my goal bird! Hitting 300 species of bird in Maricopa County in one year was amazing!
December 4th, of 2015 was a serial day overall! Spending over half the day birding with Mr. Tommy, perhaps the best birder that I know, and then spending the rest of the day rock climbing and hanging out with my best friend, three of my favorite things all in one day was fantastimazingly awesome (that's right)!
Another birding highlight came from when I went birding with my birding-mentor, Mr. Joe Ford. Now Mr. Ford has put MANY hours into my birding career, especially while I was a beginner! I'm not exactly sure if I would even be much of a birder without the extremely helpful teaching of Mr. Ford. Our last birding adventure was a morning of birding at the Tres Rios Overbank Wetlands. Mr. Ford and I started out scanning the fenced off wetlands from the tall bank. While we were scanning I heard a really distant Yellow Warbler-like chip call. Now a lot of warblers (nearly all eastern warblers) give calls that sound very similar to the call of the Yellow Warbler. So just to be sure I checked out the bird. Unfortunately the bird was calling from a distant cottonwood that was on the other side of the nearby marsh, and we couldn't get any closer. After scanning the fairly small yet thick tree for nearly five minutes I finally got a look at the bird and I found that it was a Yellow-throated Warbler!!!!! Here's a photo of what the bird looked like through my binocs.
Yellow-throated Warbler--Can you spy the bird???
Here is a photo of what the bird looked like through my scope, except the scope was clearer.
Yellow-throated Warbler--#301
After getting brief views for nearly twenty minutes Mr. For and I were pumped!!! This was a lifer for both of us and I believe it is only the second or third record for Maricopa County. Before long the bird stopped calling but we still stayed in the same spot when I noticed the bird had flown across the marsh and into a nearby bush!
Yellow-throated Warbler
Then the bird flew into a closer tree and gave us face-melting views!
Yellow-throated Warbler
After the bird flew into its normal tree again I gave Mr. Tommy a call letting him know that I had found this bird, because, it would be a Maricoper for him but I had to leave him a message. Mr. Ford and I then decided to check out more of the Tres Rios area in hopes of finding some more cool birds, and more cool birds are what we saw! The next highlight was a beautiful adult male American Redstart.
American Redstart
Mr. Tommy then gave me a call back to let me know that he was on his way over, so Mr. Ford and I started heading back to the YTWA spot. On our way over I spotted a Crested Caracara flying by us!
Crested Caracara
Spotting Mr. Tommy running towards us made me smile! Mr. Tommy is one of the most hardcore Maricopa birders and he definitely deserves every single bird on his Maricopa list! It only took me about two minutes to get the warbler in the scope for Mr. Tommy.
The year's not over yet so I'll be birding in the county a bit more before the year is over! Keep you eyes out cause Caleb Strand is coming!!!
