Wordless Wednesday

Photos by Peggy Thomas, 2016

Desert Botanical Garden

 Yesterday's Monday Morning Bird Walk at Desert Botanical Garden was quite a hoot - with four Great Horned Owls!  One was actually in camera-range instead of being impossibly hidden high up in the cottonwood trees.

Several Verdin were clamoring over one berry-laden bush along the Wildflower Trail, not seeming to care at all that we were so close!  You can even see the berry juice on the beak of the Verdins pictured above and below. (Personally, I prefer to eat my berries without being surrounded by paparazzi!)

Of course at the end of the walk when we calculated the numbers of species seen, the Greater Roadrunner and the Harris Antelope Squirrel had to make an appearance so that they could be included in the final count.

There were a number of species of note that I was happy to see - American Kestrel, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Pyrrhuloxia, and Yellow-rumped Warbler.

In recent weeks there have also been a Red-naped Sapsucker, two American Robins, a Loggerhead Shrike, and of course my favorite winter visitor, the White-crowned Sparrows!

To see  complete lists of what has been seen in the Garden, see the awesome website, updated weekly, by William and Diana Herron, DBG - Birdwalks Birdlists

Special thanks to the Desert Botanical Garden's docents who have faithfully held the Monday Morning Birdwalks for I don't know how many years - William and Diana Herron, Andree Tarby, Don Witter, Jackie Anderson, Joyce Goodman, Gay Christensen, Merle and Dee Long and many others.  We are so fortunate to have so much birding knowledge being generously shared on a beautiful weekly walk!

Tour de Bird 2016

  The Desert Rivers Audubon really rocked it this year with their Tour de Bird 2016.  I didn't make it to all the stops, but the ones I did see were spectacular.  The pics above and below are a great example of maximizing the use of a very small yard. 

This amazing habitat is in the narrow back patio / yard space of a townhouse!  It was a warm day, but as soon as we stepped into this mini-paradise it felt 10 degrees cooler.

Photo by Kimberly White-Knight

The waterfall and recirculating stream and the lush growth around it attract a variety of birds, even an occasional Green Heron!  This male Anna's Hummingbird thought it was a worthy habitat, flashing his colors in appreciation I am sure (birds are deep-thinkers).

The home-owners installed the stream originally, then later had it re-vamped by the Pond-Gnome.  The Pond-Gnome is a locally owned business in the valley specializing in design and installation of backyard ponds and recirculating streams and waterfalls.  They also convert old swimming pools into beautiful eco-friendly, water-conserving backyard ponds.

Photo by Kimberly White-Knight

Another backyard habitat on Tour de Bird 2016 also featured a recirculating stream installed by the Pond Gnome.  This home had a much larger backyard with a wide assortment of trees and shrubs native to the Sonoran Desert.  The large palo verdes and mesquite provide shade, and the dense shrubbery provides shelter for birds and other wildlife.

Photo by Kimberly White-Knight

I lingered far too long at my last stop on Tour de Bird, there were so many PLANTS!  Even plants for sale - cholla, prickly pear, milkweed, agave, aloes and more.  It was like a mini-Desert Botanical Garden!  Butterflies were fluttering around everywhere, enjoying a variety of milkweed plants.

If you are bummed out that you missed out on this year's Tour de Bird, mark your calendars for next year, the event is usually held on the first Saturday in November.  Maybe MY yard will be on Tour de Bird 2017!

There was even Devil's Claw available for purchase, singly or in bundles called "hats".

See one of the larger projects the Pond Gnome has done, utilizing and recycling the rainwater runoff from the apartment complex parking lot!

Cooper's Hawk Carnage

Photos by Peggy Thomas, taken Jan. 25th, 2016 in Mesa, AZ.

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.

A Few Winter Show-offs at Fountain Hills Lake

A bad shot of a beautiful pair of Hooded Mergansers on the north island of Fountain Hills Lake,
at 10:00am on November 12, 2014.  Photo by Peggy Thomas.

  After a loooonnnnngggggg unwanted hiatus from birding, I'm finally baaaccckkkk!  It was rough not getting a birding-fix for months on end.  I must admit that I developed a serious case of bird-envy and had to stop reading the AZNM Listserve in order to preserve my sanity.  My occasional forays into FaceBook's Birding--Arizona and Southwest page were agonizing, and brief looks at bird blogs were unbearable.  I thought I could live vicariously through the birding adventures of such prolific birders as Gordon Karre, Tommy D., and Laurence Butler, but that led me to fantasize about the possibility of teleportation, and then to a serious investigation into the latest advances in hover-craft technology (a gal can dream!).

Another bad shot of Hooded Mergansers on the north island of Fountain Hills Lake,
at 10:00am on November 12, 2014.  Photo by Peggy Thomas.

This morning while scanning flocks of mainly Ruddy Ducks and American Wigeons at Fountain Hills Lake (near the island at the lake's north end) a few of our flashier waterfowl suddenly appeared.  Mixed in with the Wigeons were 3 gorgeous pairs of Hooded Mergansers!  After taking a few far-off photos I began heading back to my van.  Then I spotted 2 flashes of bright white out by the fountain.  Too far off for a photo were a beautiful pair of male Buffleheads! 

One of several Horned Grebes (CORRECTION
- EARED GREBE) at Fountain Hills Lake,
10:30am on November 12, 2014.  Photo by Peggy Thomas

Yessss, fall is here, heralded in by our wintering ducks.  Now I just need to see a few White-crowned Sparrows in my yard for my November birding to be complete.

Hope to see many of you out in the field, forest, park, or roadside soon!

Wordless Wednesday

 

Photos by Peggy Thomas