Scaled Quail in Sycamore Canyon!

Scaled Quail 1-29-10 Sycamore Canyon

I've been watching birds whenever I can and wherever I can, so yesterday I headed into town with bins and camera to squeeze in some bird watching between errands. Gray skies threatened above me as I drive north on Houghton Road. By the time I reach Lakeside Park, the rain came down forcing me to leave my camera in the car as I search the park for something different. It is quiet here in the rain with only the birds and a few crazy fishermen braving the elements. Though I hope for the osprey or maybe some northern rough-winged swallows I am only seeing the usual suspects-American wigeons, mallards, coots, all kinds of blackbirds and a few western bluebirds. However, I am able to pick out a lone pair of Mexican ducks from all the regular mallards. Mexican ducks look like female mallards, but they are darker and smaller with dark tail feathers. Species number (Mexican mallards are no longer considered a seperate species I just dicovered!) for my Big January Count.

Hooded Meganser male 1-28-10 Reid Park

After lunch with a friend I head over to Reid Park to see what I can see. I park between the zoo and the ball fields and head for the pond. At the first pond the American wigeons dominate with over 100 in the water along with canvasbacks, ring-necked ducks, ruddy ducks, coots, and pied-billed grebes. Pigeons swarm the pond edges hoping for a few crumbs from the bread that people brought to feed the ducks. In the nearby field a flock of western bluebirds gathers and in their midst a brilliant red flash appears-a male vermilion flycatcher! I work my way around to the southern pond located closest to 22nd Street. More wigeons and mallards and exotic domestic ducks and geese fill the pond, but then I see something different! A Hooded Merganser (109)!

Common Mergansers (female) 1-28-10 Reid Park

While watching the Hooded Mergansers I take up a location behind a palm tree and wait for the ducks to relax. A male Belted Kingfisher (110) gives its rattling call and flies to one of the overhanging trees. Then, 2 ducks circle the pond, dip and skim the water only to fly off again. Are they canvasbacks? the color is similar, but someting is differnt. I wait as they circle and skim again, once, twice, and then land. To my utter delight it is two female Common Mergansers (species 111)!

Great Egret 1-28-10 Reid Park, Tucson

All the while I am watching ducks this Great Egret calmly fishes nearby.

Hooded merganser pair 1-28-10

I am able to capture this photo of the Hooded Merganser pair. a lovely, artistic sculpture inthe water--beauty floating on rippled glass. I stand by the tree and just enjoy the sight. Though I love to count the birds and I like contributing the data to eBird, I never want to loose the pure joy of the birds. I stand and let the moment infuse my being. Gray skies, calm water, peaceful birds.

Scaled Quail in Sycamore Canyon 1-29-10

It is late at night when I arrive home. After all, I did have to do a bit of shopping. When I get there I find I have a message from the new people I met yesterday. about 45 minutes after I left the house Sheri called to tell me the scaled quail were back! But it is dark now and I am too late. I go to bed with visions of scaled quail on my brain. I want them so badly because when I enterd my bird count into eBird the other day I was surprised to learn that scaled quail are not an expected species here at this time of year. All night long I dream of scaled quail. I wake up in the night with the words pounding on my brain. I just have to see these birds! I won't be able to sleep. I want to add them to my Pima County list, my Sycamore Canyon list, and my Big January Count. I wake around 8 a.m. and busy myself with morning chores. Is it too early to call Sheri back? I fill the bird feeders, and feed the pets. I fill my time as the clock creeps towards 9 a.m. then, I give Keith and Sheri a call. The scaled quail are back! I jump in my car without eating breakfast and drive to their house with what feels like frogs jumping in my stomach.

Scaled Quail 1-29-10

When I get to their house I exit the car quietly. I grab my gear and gently tap on the door. I do not want to scare these birds off now. Sheri opens the door and leads me inside. I dump my stuff on a nearby hassock and put my bins to my eyes. Where are they? Where are they? All I see are Gambel's quail. Right there, Sheri says, but I don't see, because what I am seeing are the streaked sides and white lined wings from the back, but then..., oh then! I see! I see the scales. I see the birds. I am shaking I am so excited! I have my Scaled Quail! (species 112!)

Scaled and Gambel's Quail on seed block

I have only seen scaled quail twice before. The first time was on my very first trip to Whitewater Draw the first year I lived here. One sat on a branch in the early morning light before it or we moved on. Then, I saw one briefly moving trough the brush on a hillside in Rio Rico, but this, this is the first time I have seen them this close and this well. I only intended to stay for a few minutes, but by the time I left, I had been there 2 hours. I have found new friends in Kieth and Sheri. I look forward to further birding adventures with them. And for now...

Scaled Quail 1-29-10


...I have Scaled Quail!

My World: Maricopa

Burrowing owl in Maricopa, AZ 9-29-09

Maricopa is a small town in the west desert of Arizona. Despite its name, it is not in Maricopa county, but rather, it is in Pinal county. Though it has been in existence for quite a long time, it has only recently started growing with the housing boom of the early 2000's. since then it has grown to a town of over 32,000. However, like everywhere else in Arizona, that housing boom has now subsided and the building has stopped. Yet, as this town has grown, so have the town parks and man-made lakes, giving rise to new birding habitat as well as the loss of other habitats.

Desert Wind Middle School

I found myself here last week to do a bird presentation for a friend of mine who teaches 7th grade science in the Desert Wind Middle School.

I set up the class with some of my paintings, a few issues of Bird Watcher's Digest and a PowerPoint presentation with photos from my blog and my bird watching adventures. Each class was different but in all classes there were students who were interested and engaged. I did 3 presentations a day for two days.

Mrs. Parker, the science teacher.



Inbetween classes I went out birdwatching. I found these Neotropic Cormorants in a park at Rancho Mirage

And this one roosting in a tree at Pacana Park!

This Great Egret was there as well.

While this yellow-rumped warbler clung to Bird of paradise flowers in Rancho Mirage.

One of Mrs. Parker's Students told us where to find some burrowing owls. It ends up that these owls were relocated form habit lost to development. There were six man-made clusters of burrows with owls in each cluster. I took Ashley Parker out bird watching with me and we counted 18 different owls in this location!







I like the owls so much that I couldn't resist showing you more photos. So, Here is a Gallery of burrowing owls for you viewing pleasure.

Burrowing owl

burrowing owl

Burrowing owl in front of burrow

Burrowing owls standing in shade of utility pole

Burrowing owls

Burrowing owl impersonating a rock

and that's....

My World Tuesday

My World: Gilbert Water Ranch

Black-necked Stilt 8-28-09 by Gusto!

Only in Arizona would they call the place you round up water from the sewage treatment plant a Water Ranch! I only recently discovered the Gilbert Water Ranch when I was viewing and Exploring Data on the eBird website. As I scanned the species of birds in the bar chart I was surprised to discover a wood stork on the list. I quickly clicked on the link to see where in the world one could possible see a wood stork in Arizona, for as far as I know, this is a southeast species. When the map came up I clicked on the display pin marking the bird's sighting. When the record came up it revealed who spotted the bird, when and where. A quick Internet search gave me the information I needed and on Friday, August 28, Gus and I were off!

Black-phoebe 8-28-09 by Kathie

We drive north to Phoenix, then east to the town of Gilbert. Also known as the Riparian Institute, the 110-acre Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch is located at 2757 E. Guadalupe Road east of Greenfield Road, next to the Southeast Regional Library in Gilbert, Arizona. According to the Riparian Institute Website, over 200 species of birds have been sighted here. Though we left from Tucson by 6 a.m it is already 91 degrees F at 8:30 a.m. when we arrive. Donning hat, bins, camera and water bottle we head across the parking lot with a white sun blazing down on us. I always get so excited when I am in a new birding place. I can already see birds ahead of me in the muddy pond as well as on the ground and in the trees surrounding us. On a nearby fence a little black phoebe perches and I quickly snap its picture, but then I hand the camera to Gus. There are just too many birds to see and count!

Long-billed dowitchers 8-28-09 by Gusto!

Before us black-necked stilts, snowy egrets, mallards and sandpipers wade in the shallow water. Overhead turkey vultures soar. We walk from pond to pond. We find long-billed dowitchers, along with more stilts, common and snowy egrets, least and western sandpipers and a lone cattle egret still showing the rust-colored feathers from its fading breeding plumage. The trees surrounding the ponds are full of warblers, blackbirds and sparrows. Abert's towhees and Inca doves land on the dirt paths before us, then fly up as we draw near. In the surrounding trees the great tailed grackles whistle and call. All my senses are on alert! I don't know where to look first!

A flock of 50 white-faced ibis mingles with the egrets, stilts and sandpipers. Then a racuous sound fills the air and a flock of at least 55 more ibis fly in and lands with the rest of them. Standing there by the pond is another birder/photographer. He too is here to try to capture a photo of the wood stork. As we stand there talking it suddenly flies right over our heads and lands in an adjacent pond. We quickly grab our gear and cross the path to that pond.

Wood-stork 8-28-09 by Gusto!

As we scan the sky the wood stock suddenly makes a landing! However, from this angle it is terribly back-lit and in the excitement, Gus gets the best shot that he can at the moment.

Wood stork and Great egret by Gusto!

Gus takes another couple of shots, but none are like he wants. The other photographer says there is a spot from the other side of the pond where we can get better light, so we leave our viewing area and walk around the pond, but by the time we get there, of course the stork is gone!

Great-horned owl 8-28-09 by Gusto!

Instead this great horned owl watches us from a nearby willow tree.

Common egret 8-28-09 by Gusto!

And then Gus photographs this gorgeous great Egret. I am starting to wonder, am I really in Arizona? The temperature has risen significantly now and we are getting so hot. We bid good-bye to our new found photographer friend and head back to the car. There is so much more to explore, but it will have to wait for another cooler day. We grab our small cooler from the car and rest in the shade of one of the ramadas. We drink juice and water and eat some fruit and chips trying to replenish what we have sweated out in the 2 hours we have been here. When we finally get in our vehicle and start it up the car thermometer reads 114 degree F! Yikes! And it's only 11 a.m.! However as soon as we start driving the temp drops to 107F. On the drive home it once again reaches 111F near Casa Grande. Apparently we decided to go birding on one of the hottest days in August. Gilbert Water Ranch is a wonderful place to bird. It has 7 small ponds and we only made it to about 4 of them. We discuss coming back again when it is a bit cooler, but I am not sorry we came. How often does one get the chance to add a wood stork to their Arizona Life List after all! In the end I recorded 4o species of birds at Gilbert Water Ranch. I hope to return one day soon to find the peach-faced love birds that are reported to be hanging out there. And that's....

MY WORLD Tuesday

Juvenile Great Blue Heron 8-28-09 by Gusto!

I want my Mommy!

Bird Report:

Location: Gilbert Water Ranch
Observation date: 8/28/09
Notes: What an amazing place! There were so many birds! I did my best but I could not count or identify all the peeps. We only got to a few of the ponds before the heat drove us away. It was 91F when we arrived and 107F by the time we left at 11:00 A.M.! Photos of stork and ibises.
Number of species: 41

1. Mallard 14
2. Gambel's Quail 2
3. Pied-billed Grebe 1
4. Neotropic Cormorant 30
5. Great Blue Heron 6
6. Great Egret 30
7. Snowy Egret 25
8. Cattle Egret 1
9. Green Heron 1
10. Black-crowned Night-Heron 5
11.White-faced Ibis 105
12. Wood Stork 1
13. Turkey Vulture 7
14. Common Moorhen 1
15. American Coot 1
16. Killdeer 10
17. Black-necked Stilt 25
18. Spotted Sandpiper 1
19. Greater Yellowlegs 1
20. Western Sandpiper 50
21. Least Sandpiper 20
22. Long-billed Dowitcher 40
23. White-winged Dove 1
24. Mourning Dove 12
25. Inca Dove 2
26. Great Horned Owl 1
27. Gila Woodpecker 1
28. Black Phoebe 2
29. Northern Rough-winged Swallow 12
30. Verdin 12
31. Northern Mockingbird 2
32. Curve-billed Thrasher (Western) 4
33. Orange-crowned Warbler 2
34. Yellow Warbler 1
35. Abert's Towhee 5
36. Red-winged Blackbird 20
37. Great-tailed Grackle 30
38. Brown-headed Cowbird 15
39. House Finch 12
40. Lesser Goldfinch 2
41. House Sparrow 12

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Reid Park Serenity

Northern Pintail Duck by Kathie Brown 1-5-09

If I am going to town to get my hair cut, why am I taking my camera, binoculars, and birding paraphernalia (which for me consists of bird guides, notebooks, and hat)? But I am, because if I have time…

Reid Park Reflections, Tucson, AZ 1-5-09 by Kathie Brown

…and I do. Though I have other errands to run, I think I will just stop by Reid Park for a few minutes. I can get a few new species here and it won’t take long. Reid Park is 73 acres in size and is located between Broadway and 22nd Street at 900 S. Randolph Way. I park on the west side of the Zoo and get out. To my surprise, the park is virtually empty of humans. Whenever I have been here before there were as many people as birds, but today is the first day back to school and work for most people. This day started out rainy, gray and cold, though now the sun has burst forth once again and all is bright in the world.

Pond Full of Ducks 1-5-09 by Kathie Brown

I immediately head over to the large pond where I can hear the high-pitched wheet-woo of American Widgeons. The pond is full of ducks and as I start to scan the crowd someone at the east end of the pond brings out some bread and the flock flies up in a low rush to the far side away from me. No matter. A short walk along the pond’s edge brings me to this concentrated collection of waterfowl and I happily count and snap away.

Rock pigeons are as numerous as the ducks and a flock of over 100 birds parades proudly on the ground nearby. When I was young I use to help a man who raised racing pigeons. These birds are the wild escapees of the same species. Though they have a bad reputation and I don’t want them at my bird feeders at home, I still admire them from time to time. Today their flight as they rush by me seems almost magical. I am caught in a whirlwind of feathers and flight and I stand joyous and jealous as they wing past.

Pied Beauty by Kathie Brown 1-5-09

On the ground this one fancy fellow puffs up his chest and starts cooing. He has to be one of the prettiest males I have ever seen in his pied black and white beauty.

Great Egret by Kathie Brown 1-5-09

As I wander the grounds of Reid Park I can hear the distance hum of traffic racing by, but here in this green fortress I am lost in a world of birds. They seem to be everywhere I look. I find a Common Egret fishing in a shallow pool surrounded by a carpet of golden leaves.

Orange-crowned Warbler eating an olive 1-5-09 by Kathie

Beyond the egret I find a tree full of birds. It is an olive tree ripe with fruit. House Finches, House Sparrows, and Verdin weave busily in and out of the thick foliage. Then a flash of yellow flits by and I find an Orange-crowned warbler feeding greedily.

Overhead a winter starling watches and waits.

Reid Park Blue Bridge 1-5-09 by Kathie Brown

Reid Park is wonderfully designed with hills and creeks, treed areas and open space. Little bridges cross the creeks and creek beds. Paths wander here and there. Pine trees tower alongside eucalyptus trees. Palm, Olive, and mesquite trees dot the landscape along with Palo Verdes.

Palm Trees and Roses 1-5-09 by Kathie Brown

On the eastern edge a rose garden grows, with roses in bloom even now, in winter. Most of the blooms are edged in brown from the recent cold, and some of the buds are frozen in time. Will they open still, or fade and fall unfulfilled? Do the sparrows huddled beneath their branches care if these blossoms fade and fall? I walk the circular path in search of that perfect bud or blossom. I lean over tenderly to see if they have any fragrance, but the perfume is faint or nonexistent at the moment. Perhaps a few days of warmth will bring it forth again.

Rose name: Solitude and Artistry

I am amazed at how empty the park is. It’s almost like I have it all to myself.

I wander to the northwest corner, where I have found a Lewis’s Woodpecker before. Today it does not show up, but I find a lovely Red-naped Sapsucker...

Vermillion Flycatcher by Kathie Brown 1-5-09

...and a Vermillion Flycatcher to boot. I stroll the northern perimeter in hopes of finding some juncos, which I have seen in this area before, but all is quiet. Then, I pause in my steps as I realize why.

Cooper's Hawk with Prey 1-5-09 by Kathie Brown

There on the ground ahead of me, beneath a tree a Cooper’s Hawk is standing on its feathered prey. I do not want to disturb the bird. After watching them attempt to catch birds in my yard, I know how hard it is for them to get a meal. I stand where I am and raise my camera to get a distant shot, but after a couple of snaps of the lens the bird sees me. It grabs its meal in its talons and flies to the nearby trees. Once it is gone I walk over to the downy feathers scattered on the green earth. Dappled sunlight highlights a few remnants of the life that was. It’s always a hard thing to accept that one life must end for another to continue, but that is the way of things on this earth. Perhaps in a distant future, this will not be necessary, but for now this is the way. I suspect the prey was a mourning dove. A glance at the nearby fence surrounding the baseball fields reveals a number of them perching in the slanting sun. Do they have any consciousness of the loss of one of their own? It seems to me they go on as usual, now that the danger has passed.

Feathers by Kathie Brown 1-5-09

With these solemn thoughts I head back to my car. I have been here for two hours! It’s time to go home. It will take me 25 minutes to reach the grocery store in Rita Ranch, and another 15 to 20 minutes to get home from there. The sun is setting as I drive up the road to my neighborhood, but inside I carry the serenity of this day, spent in a city park, virtually alone doing what I like best.

Peaceful Dove in Reid Park 1-5-09 by Kathie


Click on any photo to enlarge for the best view and please visit...

IATB Edition #91 Hosted by T.R. at The Farway, Nearby

Thanks T.R.!

Photographer's Notes: All of today's photgraphy is by Kathie Brown with the Nikon D80 and the 70-300mm lens set in sports mode for bird shots, close-up mode for flowers and Programed Auto for landscape shots. All photos are copyrighted by the blog author. Please do not use without permission.

Big January List Update:

I saw 24 species of birds today at Reid Park in Tucson. This added 11 more birds to my Big January List.

48. Pied-billed grebe

49. American widgeon

50. Northern Pintail

51. Great Egret

52.American Coot

53.Vermillion flycatcher

54.Orange-Crowned Warbler

55.Great-tailed Grackle

56. Redhead

57. Red-naped Sapsucker

58. Mallard

Please Visit MY World: Arivaca Cienega below.