Who's Seeing What, and Where?

The temps are dropping and my birding antennae are rising!  So, where to go, what to see?  Such decisions, what is one to do?  Surf the net!  Here's a run-down of how to find out what birds being seen around the Valley, and where:

Birding ListServe - This is where you can find out what birds of interest are being seen daily across the state, from very reliable sources such as Troy Corman, Mark Stevenson, Magill Weber, George West, Tommy DeBardeleben, Laurence Butler, Lindsay Story, Jeff Ritz, Ernie Nickels, Melanie Herring, and many other experienced avid birders.  They cover everything, from Glendale Recharge Ponds and Tres Rios in the west valley, to Gilbert Water Ranch and Boyce Thompson Arboretum in the east.

Facebook - Birding -- Arizona and the Southwest - Here you will find some awesome bird photography, with recent photos and locations.  Many local birders and photographers regularly post their bird photos here - Peggy Coleman, Denny Green, Paul Landau, Jeff Stemshorn, Saija Lehtonen, Pete Moulton, Brendon Grice, Gordon Karre, E.J. Pieker, Robert Henderlong, Bernie Howe, and several more. 

Birder From Maricopa - If you really want all the details about your chosen birding destination, then you must go to Tommy DeBardeleben's excellent website BirderFromMaricopa.com.  When I first started reading Tommy's posts on the Birding ListServ, I thought for sure I was reading the adventures of someone who had birded Maricopa County for the last thirty years, and was retired.  His posting was prolific, and he always seemed a step ahead of everyone.  Then I found his website, with an extensive detailed listing of birding sites all over the valley, and I was convinced he was eighty years old, and was frantically adding to his life list before he took his last breath.  I was stunned to find out that he was a young adult, completing his second big year in a row! 

Butler's Birds and Things  - Laurence Butler is an avid birder and excellent writer who has the most entertaining bird blog I've ever come across.  He posts great photos and absolutely delightful descriptions of the birds he sees.  Laurence comes from a family of birders and has certainly inherited the birder gene!  For a great read, check out Butler's Birds and Things

AZFO - Recent Arizona Rarities - If you are working on your life list, or doing a big year, you should regularly check the Arizona Field Ornithologist's "Recent Arizona Rarities" page.

If you are heading to Desert Botanical Garden,
the Monday Morning Birdwalkers
keep a thorough list of birds sighted -
DBG Birdwalk Birdlists.

Boyce Thompson Arboretum also has an
updated page of recent bird sightings.