Eurasian Teal Takes a Wrong Turn

Eurasian Teal at Tempe Marsh, Jan. 14th, 2011

We can't all be good at directions, but it sure helps, especially if you're a duck!  Somewhere along the way during migration this Eurasian Teal turned right when he should have turned left, or visa versa.  Either way, lucky for us birders he's decided to mix it up with a small group of Green-winged Teals at Tempe Marsh (Tempe Marketplace).  What distinguishes him from the Green-winged Teals is his lack of a vertical white shoulder bar, and that he has a more prominent horizontal white scapular-stripe.  Photo below shows the comparison.




Green-winged Teal on left, Eurasian Teal second from right, at Tempe Marsh, Jan. 14th, 2011.

 

My New Toy - a Viewing Scope



At Gilbert Water Ranch trying out my new custom built viewing scope from Photon Instrument.

 I'm finally back to blogging after a nearly 2 month absence.  Where have I been??  Out exploring my favorite birding areas, agog over what I can now see!  Its a whole new bird world out there now that I can see soooo far, and in so much detail!  I never was able to master using binoculars so I have been birding just by naked eye, and using a 12x optical zoom digital camera to get close-up views.  But I often couldn't ID the birds I was seeing while in the field with certainty - I had to download my images to my laptop to get a decent look at key field markings.  So in November my friend Josh, at Wild Birds Unlimited, referred me to Warren Kutok at Photon Instrument in Mesa, Arizona.  What a lucky day that was for me, to discover such a great hidden treasure here in Mesa.  Warren Kutok has helped build and repair observatory telescopes all over the world, and now he's putting together a custom built viewing scope that mounts to my wheelchair!  I went into his shop and met with him on a Thursday, and by Saturday my scope was ready.  Amazing!  I've been off wandering around with my scope ever since.  I really need to stop by Photon Instrument and thank Warren for opening up a whole new world for me.  I'm one happy birder!

Our White-crowned Sparrows Are Back!

Ahhh, we can all breathe a sigh of relief, the cooler weather is here, and so are the White-crowned Sparrows!  These cute little puff-balls of winter are great fun to watch at the feeders.

Remembering Linda

Just over one year ago my good friend, Linda Hartelt, passed away after a long struggle with pulmonary complications stemming from her spinal cord injury.  So the past year has been a time of mourning her passing, grieving the loss a dear friend, and regretting not doing more to ease her struggle and to help her enjoy the last year of her life.

On an unseasonably cool day in mid June I found myself overwhelmed with sadness.  It was an incredibly gorgeous day outside, and Linda was not here to take it all in.  I couldn't bring myself to go outside and enjoy the day, it all seemed so unfair.  In the midst of my moping I suddenly heard a racket of tapping and fluttering at the back door.  Amazingly, there was a Peach-faced Lovebird perched on the back french door, pecking on the window as though he was knocking to come inside!  I looked around at the back patio and there were Peach-faced Lovebirds everywhere.

Lined up along the pool fence...

Swinging around on the hanging baskets...

One Lovebird even played me a tune on the wind chimes...

and a few seemed enamoured with my little stuffed toy Loon on the window sill...

The flock of nearly 20 lovebirds spent most of the day in my yard, raiding all the feeders, hanging out with the Quail...

bathing in the pool, and checking out the birdhouses...

It was truly an awesome sight to see,  I have never witnessed that many Lovebirds in my yard before or since.  Thank you Linda, you were here after all...

Boyce Thompson Arboretum

Cactus Wren gathering nesting material at Boyce Thompson Arboretum.

Its field trip #2 with the More Birding With Cynthia Donald, the weather is gorgeous, and we're excited at the prospect of seeing 3 rare birds recently spotted at Boyce Thompson Arboretum - a Worm-eating Warbler, a Black-throated Blue Warbler, and a Gray Catbird.  But for a while it seemed all we were seing were common birds, atop electrical wires, of all things, at an arboretum full of wonderful trees.


Starling upon a most un-natural  perch.

  Things picked up though, and we all got a good look at a Red-naped Sapsucker who remained eerily motionless for quite some time.  I guess it doesn't require much motion to suck sap.  We also saw a Cactus Wren gathering nesting material and taking it to her well hidden nest draped over with palm fronds.  Ayers Lake was a bit sad though, with only one lonely Coot floating around on it.  Could have been that the Coopers Hawk lurking about was keeping everyone hiding in the reeds.

Red-naped Sapsucker who refused to turn around and smile.

Other birds of interest seen included a Black Phoebe, Hutton’s Vireo, Plumbeous Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Western Scrub Jay, Bewick’s Wren, Rock Wren, Canyon Wren, Marsh Wren. Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Gray Catbird, Crissal Thrasher, Phainopepla, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat (heard but not seen), Green-tailed Towhee, Spotted Towhee (I saw close-up, after the group left), White-crowned Sparrow (yeah!  our little winter puff-balls are back!), Northern Cardinal, Broad-billed Hummingbird, Black-throated Sparrow, Pyrrhuloxia, Cooper’s Hawk (later reported to have caught a Northern Flicker and torn it apart out in the garden in front of God and everyone, glad I missed seeing THAT), and Red-tailed Hawk.

Click on image below to see slide-show.

White-faced Ibis at Gilbert Riparian

A single Grackle among the White-faced Ibis at Gilbert Riparian Preserve

I don't know about you but I don't see any white faces among these White-faced Ibis.  So when a fellow birder said she saw some White-faced Ibis today, I thought maybe she'd been out in the sun too long!  Turns out that I don't know an Ibis when I see one.  There were plenty of them out today at Gilbert Riparian Preserve, on Field Trip #1 of "More Birding with Cynthia Donald".  Its too late to sign up now for this great class, but watch for the Spring 2011 class listed at http://www.dbg.org/ .

Ducks now appearing at the Gilbert Riparian Preserve include - Green-winged Teal, American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Cinnamon Teal, and the not-a-duck Pied-billed Grebe.  Other birds of interest seen today were an American Kestrel, Osprey, Western Kingbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Wren, Lincoln's Sparrow, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Says Phoebe, and Black Phoebe.

Owls, Bats, and Ring-tailed Cats, Oh My!

Starts this Friday night!  Enchanted Trail Evenings at the Rio Salado Audubon Center this October. Premiere family event on the Rio Salado which will dazzle children of all ages!!! Invite your family and friends too!! Theme will focus on the nocturnal animal life on the banks of the Rio Salado. Activities will include live animals along the wheelchair accessible trail, games and puzzles and mask making and other fun activities. This Event will take place on 4 nights, 5:30pm ‘til 8pm:

• Friday, October 22nd
• Saturday, October 23rd
• Friday, October 29th
• Saturday, October 30th