Wordless Wednesday

 

Photos by wildlife photographer Denny Green

Great Grey Owls, Grand Teton National Park,
October 2012

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. 

Wordless Wednesday

Photos by Arizona Wildlife Photographer Helmut Hussman, a.k.a. H5

Wordless Wednesday

Photos courtesy of Arizona Wildlife Photographer Becky Standridge.

See more of her incredible photography
at www.saltriverwildhorses.com

Wordless Wednesday

 

Photos by awesome Arizona Photographer Jeff Stemshorn

A Bird of a Different Feather

 

Photo by Jeff Stemshorn, Sept. 4th, 2012

We all enjoy seeing our lovely Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, and Cattle Egrets, but now there is a new kid in town - the Reddish Egret (or as Jeff Stemshorn likes to call it - the Radish Egret).  He seems to have befriended a Great Egret, or maybe he's just asking for directions, since he obviously made a wrong turn somewhere to end up here in Arizona.  The Reddish Egret is normally found along the coastal regions of Mexico and the Texas Gulf, and prefers a tropical or marine environment.  Maybe he'll stick around if a few monsoon storms roll through.  But as I look out my window, all I see is dust.

This bird, first spotted by Lindsay Story of Mesa on Sept. 2nd, is banded and according to Troy Corman the band on the Reddish Egret was put on in Isla Alcatraz, Bahia Kino, Sonora, Mexico on 11 June 2012.  The egrets are being tracked by the Reddish Egret Working Group, under Dr. Eduardo Palacios Castro, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educacion Superior de Ensenada, B.C..

Directions to see this rare visitor from the south -

From the Power & Guadalupe intersection Gilbert/Mesa AZ, go north on Power to the first stoplight.  This is just the length of the pond on the left (west side of Power).  During non-business hours, turn left (west) at the light (Monterey Ave) and enter a complex with medical and banking offices.  The orthodontics building mentioned above is immediately on the left as you enter this site.  There is a concrete walkway at the west side of the small parking lot.  This gives a view of the pond below.  Walk to the south or down the grass slope for further views.  Again, please be conscious of the fact this lot is busy during normal business hours.  Property owners are birder-friendly, but we don't want to abuse their hospitality.

 Please keep at a distance so others may also have the opportunity to get a glimpse of him.

Peggy Coleman's photo shows where his red plumage is starting to come in along the upper part of the neck.

Thank you Peggy Coleman and Jeff Stemshorn for the photos

and Troy Corman for the details!

Prickly Pear Festival

Superior’s debut Prickly Pear culinary festival is this Saturday, Aug. 25th. Ripe cactus fruits red as rubies and garnets are at their peak in August - and the historic copper-mining town of Superior celebrates this year with a debut culinary festival showcasing cactus-based menu items at local restaurants, a class teaching participants how to pick, de-spine and prepare the forbidding fruits - and plenty of opportunities for sampling. There's even a "prickly pear IPA" class for home-brewers!

Get there early before the squirrels eat everything!

SUPERIOR PRICKLY PEAR FESTIVAL
In Partnership with the Boyce Thompson Arboretum

August 25, 2012 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

6:30 AM Meet in front of Porter’s Café, 404 W. Main St., Superior for a guided desert walk with Scott Wood, Tonto National Forest ranger, at the site of the old mining town of Pinal City. Enjoy a history tour and learn more about the edible prickly pear. FREE

8:00 AM – 9:30 AM Porter’s Café - Enjoy a delicious pancake breakfast enhanced with prickly pear syrup hosted by the Superior Fire Department. A donation of $6.00 would be appreciated.

9:00 AM – 12:00 PM Prickly Pear India Pale Ale class, Porter’s Café. There is a limit of 25 participants for this great home-brewing class taught by Pete Rendek who is well-known at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum for his delicious pale ale created with prickly pear juice. Price per person is $25 and is by reservation only. Email mila.lira19@gmail.com to receive a reservation form, or call Lynn Heglie for more information, 520-827-9398.

10:00 AM – 3:00 PM Superior Senior Center, 360 Main St. (air-conditioned). Don’t miss a special morning event (FREE) at 10:30 AM with author Jean Groen, a prickly pear expert who will instruct you in “how to pick and juice ‘em”. Jean is well-known for her popular series of classes at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum. Also enjoy chocolate prickly pear truffles created by the “Chocolate Lady” and an assortment of cactus edibles available from Cheri’s Desert Harvest. Visit with vendors sharing recipes and offering cookbooks, photos, handbags, notecards, and much more, all with a prickly pear theme. Enjoy live music by local musicians.

Unique "building art" can be found throughout Superior.
  Take a drive around town and see how many you can find!

ALL DAY - Visit local restaurants and try their special prickly pear dishes prepared just for this event!

Jade Grill, Asian Barbecue, 639 US Hwy 60, Superior
Offering delicious pork rolls with prickly pear syrup

Porter’s Café, 404 W. Main St., Superior
Sip Prickly Pear margaritas and Prickly Pear lemonade and listen to live music

*PRICKLY PEAR GIFT BAGS FOR THE FIRST 100 VISITORS!*

Click below for my slide-show of Superior's building art:

 

Squirrel on Prickly Pear photo by nature photographer
Jeff Stemshorn, a.k.a. Big Bird