American Robin at Desert Botanical Garden

In many places Robins are a dime a dozen, but not so much here in Phoenix.  So the Garden's out-of-town guests were quite amused at seeing us Phoenicians get so excited over seeing a single male American Robin on the Monday Morning Bird Walk at Desert Botanical Garden.  He was first heard by the alert ears of a few experienced birders, then he sprang up high in a tree along the Wildflower Trail to sun himself, or maybe just to show off his handsome rufous chest.  Later on into the bird walk five American Robins were seen flying overhead.

Not to be out-done by a Robin, the female Northern Cardinal put on a nice show for us along the Plants & People Trail, swooping in and out of the drinking fountain for a few sips of water.  No lowly pond water for this diva!

Four Gilded Flickers were seen on this week's bird walk.  The prior week's walk was highlighted by the appearance of two Red-Shafted Flickers.

No Great Horned Owls were seen in the Cottonwoods, but one Hermit Thrush was seen and heard near the Owl's usual hangout.  (I opted to photograph the birders and not the bird!)

A young Greater Roadrunner joined us at the end of the walk at the Ullman Terrace to supervise our compilation of the bird walk bird list.

The Harris's Antelope Squirrel also joined us on the terrace, seemingly unconcerned over the danger of becoming the roadrunner's lunch.

If You Go:  Remember, it's Luminaria time at the Garden and there will be early closures!  The Garden will close at 4 p.m. with last admission at 3 p.m. each evening of Luminaria to prepare for the event. Early closure dates are:  December 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 – 23, 26 – 30.  The Garden will also close at 4 p.m. with last admissions at 3 p.m. on December 24, 2014.

They Called Him Flicker, Flicker, Faster than Lightning...

A male Gilded Flicker swoops in to meet his "Red Shafted" Northern
Flicker mate, both flashing their differing colors. 
Taken November 13th at Papago Park ponds, Tempe, AZ, by Peggy Thomas

...under the trees, cavorting with Red and Yellow-shafted Flickers and producing hybrids just to make it even harder for us birders to tell all the Flickers apart!

Male Gilded Flicker, Papago Park, Nov. 2014

On a trip to Papago Park this fall, I noticed the above pair of Flickers frolicking high in the palm trees near the middle pond. At the time I thought it was a pair of Gilded Flickers.  Then I got home and started pouring over my photos and noticed the Red-shafted Flicker (Northern Flicker).  So I posted the photo online for others to comment on.  Here's what two of our local birding pro's, Gordon Karre and Pete Moulton, had to say:

Gordon - "Last winter I discovered a 'Red-shafted' Northern Flicker in South Mountain park that was hanging around with a Gilded Flicker and it pretty much spent the winter there. But have not seen it since, but there are several Gilded Flickers still in that same location. I was kind of watching for some hybridization, but did not find any."
 

Female "Red-shafted" Northern Flicker,
Papago Park, Nov. 2014.

Pete - "Could be a mated pair anyway, Peggy. Once upon a time (in 1973) the AOU merged the Yellow-shafted, Red-shafted, and Gilded Flickers into a single species, based on evidence of widespread interbreeding. I can vouch for the degree of interbreeding between Red and Yellow-shafteds in Colorado, and Gordon could say the same for Nebraska; but the AOU separated the Gilded back out some years ago, partly because the amount of interbreeding with Red-shafteds was less than supposed."

My photos were taken in November, not exactly breeding time for Gilded or Northern Flickers.  So it will be interesting to see in the coming months if these two are still at Papago Park and actually mate and produce hybrids.

Thank you Gordon Karre and Pete Moulton for your input :-).

Photos by Peggy Thomas