Northern Jacana, Casa Grande - 01/31

Long staying Northern Jacana - Dave White Municipal Golf Course in Casa Grande, Pinal County, AZ.

JPS.

Cackling and Canada Goose selection, Scottsdale - Feb 1st and 2nd.

Recent visits to the McCormick Ranch Lakes in Scottsdale have produced a most interesting and diverse range of both Canada and Cackling Geese. The birds are often close allowing for great looks and subsequently for reasonable images to be taken. Most of my visits here have been alone but on Saturday afternoon I spent an enjoyable four hours with Pierre Deviche and Eyal Shochat trying to get to grips with some fine identifications challenges. In essence we identified at least seven Cackling Geese on February 1st and 2nd, including 1 Richardson's, 2 plus Taverner's and 4 birds that closely associated together but have thus far eluded a sub-specific identification.

Here's an image selection from just a handful of the birds encountered. I'm extremely grateful to Steve Mlodinow for his instructive comments on the identification on some of these birds. Naturally, all identifications are tentative and I'm open to constructive comments on any of these birds.

'Giant' Canada Goose B.c. maxima (right) with B.c. moffitti. Large, impressive, with extensive broad white cheek extending all the way to lower mandible. Variable whitish markings across forehead, and this case, above the eye.
Compare the head and bill profile with the moffitti, and the amount of visible white about the head. Feb 2nd, 2008.

Lesser Canada Goose B.c. parvipes. The most frequent small white cheeked goose at McCormick Ranch. January 28th, 2008.

Lesser Canada Goose B.c. parvipes (right) and Cackling Goose B.hutchinsii (left). Interesting comparison of head and bill profiles, and overall size. The sub-specific identification of this Cackling Goose is (currently) uncertain but it could be Richardson's Cackling Goose (B.h. hutchinsii) February 1st, 2008.

Cackling Geese B.hutchinsii. All four birds at the front of this group are Cacklers, as yet unidentified to form. Feb 2nd, 2008.

Cackling Geese B.hutchinsii. Two birds from the tight group of four above - form uncertain. Feb 2nd, 2008.

Cackling Goose B.hutchinsii. The smallest and darkest of the Cacklers present at McCormick Ranch - form uncertain. Feb 1st, 2008.

Cackling Goose B.hutchinsii. One of the group of four small Cacklers - form uncertain. Feb 1st, 2008.

Taverner's Cackling Goose B.hutchinsii taverneri (at rear). Very similar to parvipes but shows shorter, more triangular shaped bill blending neatly into gently sloping forehead.


Taverner's Cackling Goose B.hutchinsii taverneri (left most bird) with B.c. moffitti and at least one Lesser Canada Goose B.c. parvipes (the first bird to the right of the Taverner's with neck fully extended and head raised).


Taverner's Cackling Goose B.hutchinsii taverneri. Similar to B.c. parvipes, but shorter, more triangular shaped bill, duller cheek and chest.

Richardson's Cackling Goose B.hutchinsii hutchinsii (rear) with B.c. moffitti. Overall color cast quite similar to B.c. moffitti, but obviously small with a Cackling Goose-type bill and rather square, 'blocky' head shape.

Richardson's Cackling Goose B.hutchinsii hutchinsii (right) with B.c. moffitti.

Richardson's Cackling Goose B.hutchinsii hutchinsii (left) with B.c. moffitti. Very small with 'Cackling Goose-type' bill, rather blocky head shape, and steep forehead. Quite notable broad 'frosty' fringes to upperparts compared to moffitti.


JPS.

White-fronted and Ross's Geese, Scottsdale - 01/27

A rain soaked morning ruled out the possibility of doing point counts, so I headed over to Scottsdale to check out the goose flocks. I was astonished to find Back Lake at McCormick Ranch virtually devoid of geese, a site which held up to 800 Canada Geese on recent visits! A quick check of a small pond just north of the McCormick Parkway revealed just eight geese, but two of these were White-fronts! Afterwards, I tried Chaparral Park off Hayden Road and found a few more Canada Geese but a tiny adult Ross's Goose 'free-loading' with the domestic fowl was easily the highlight. Some 30 Northern Rough-winged Swallows were hawking over the water here in the deluge.

Greater White-fronted Geese - adult and first-winter, McCormick Ranch. The adult is almost certainly the same that I found close to this location on Dec 22nd, 2007. The younger bird wasn't present on that date.

Adult Ross's Goose - managed to get rid of the fishing line shortly after this image was taken!

JPS

Crissal Thrasher, Maricopa Co. 01/26

Good views of typical, but sometimes difficult to see, desert residents at McDowell Regional Park just north of Fountain Hills. Highlights included extended looks at a Crissal Thrasher, plus about 4 Black-tailed Gnatcatchers, Costa's and Anna's Hummingbirds, and numerous Phainopeplas. A large flock of 72 Western Meadowlarks flew over and a couple of Great Horned Owls called at dusk, all of these were just in one remote corner of this extremely scenic desert park.


Crissal Thrasher -

Costa's Hummingbird - male

Phainopepla - female.

Black-tailed Gnatcatcher -

JPS

Redhead, Fountain Hills - 01/25

This lone drake Redhead was a nice surprise on Fountain Hills Lake this morning, although many of the diving ducks and grebes appeared to have moved on from since my last visits here in late December. Still good numbers of American Wigeons grazing with American Coots on the banks of the lake. A Tree Swallow, my first of the year, was hawking over the water for a short time in the chill of the morning. A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher feeding along a wash in Sun City was one of the better birds of this morning's point counts.


Drake Redhead - keeping his distance out in the middle of Fountain Lake.


Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - digibin shot from one of the point counts.




JPS.

White-cheeked Geese in Scottsdale - 01/23

A quick stop at Back Lake at the McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale produced some good sized flocks of Canada Geese, many of the birds close. The vast majority were nice crisp examples of 'moffiti' but careful scanning with a scope also found about six or seven smaller parvipes. Associating with these were two small geese that I couldn't quite place. At times, both had a Cackling type feel, especially in direct comparison to parvipes, but both seemed to be a little on the large side and not quite stubby-billed enough for most forms of Cackling Goose. Even so, I'm not sure how I could have ruled out Taverner's Cackling Goose for at least one of these birds. Taverner's apparently overlaps in size and body weight with parvipes.

A most useful introduction to white-cheeked goose identification in Arizona can be viewed here on the AZFO website.


Moffiti at rear, two parvipes at extreme right, small unidentified geese at center and left.


parvipes at center, with small unidentified geese either side. Compare the head/bill shapes of the parvipes (center) and the bird on the right. Perhaps these are all variants of parvipes?


small unidentified goose with typical moffiti at rear.



I would welcome comments on the identity of any of the white-cheeked geese posted here. Thanks.


Good birding,

JPS.

Lovebirds and Ringed Turtle-Dove - 01/23

Noted quite a few Peach-faced Lovebirds this morning whilst carrying out urban point counts at sites around Phoenix. Had a total of seven off McKellips Road in Mesa and over a dozen in Papago Park, Phoenix.

Another 'exotic' of interest in Papago Park was a probable Ringed Turtle-Dove. I'd been seeing Eurasian Collared Doves throughout the morning but this bird was striking, being rather paler with most of the belly, vent, undertail coverts and undertail appearing completely pale, creamy white. Eurasian Collared Dove, though very variable, is usually darker showing at least some visible black towards the base of the tail when perched. This bird also appeared smaller and more petite than Eurasian Collared. Recent parusals of the web would suggest a general push towards dropping the name 'Ringed Turtle-Dove', and picking up the name African Collared Dove which would be a tad disappointing as these birds just don't look quite as neat as pure African Collared. However, Ringed Turtle-Doves are apparently direct descendants of escaped African Collared Doves and share the same scientific name. Hybrids between Eurasian Collared Dove and Ringed Turtle-Dove have been reported. Anyhow, a bird of interest for me at least having spent many head-breaking hours looking for African Collared Doves in Southern Israel.

I was also impressed by the number of Bronzed Cowbirds present in Papago Park, I think quite uncommon in Maricopa County in mid-winter.

All of these are 'digibin' images.

Peach-faced Lovebirds - a reasonably well established exotic in parts of the Phoenix area.

possible Ringed Turtle Dove - more or less continually white from the lower belly to the tail tip.

Bronzed Cowbird - about 12 males in Papago Park.

Good birding,



JPS.

Urban Painted Redstart - 01/21

Frequently working these sapsucker drills, and very aggressive towards other warblers approaching this tree.

January 21st found me back in Arizona, getting back into the swing of urban point counts in the Phoenix area. This stunning Painted Redstart wasn't on one of our plots but it was in an extreme urban situation deep in Tempe. It spent much of its time in the Eucalyptus trees in the parking lot of Wells Fargo bank, just north-east of the intersection with Mill Ave and Broadway Road.


Found by Lori Hurley and posted to the Arizona list serve by Pierre Deviche.


JPS.

Another gull of interest - 01/17

While engrossed in trying to get reasonable images of the Slaty-backed Gull, many other gulls of interest came into view. One of these, an adult, I almost glossed over as an American Herring Gull. It had black primaries, gray upperparts similar in tone to smithsonianus or maybe slightly darker, and didn't look especially small compared to the surrounding 'smiths'. I'd already seen a number of adult Kumlien's Gulls with dark eyes and gray-to-dark gray primaries, so wasn't particularly alarmed when I saw this bird but started taking images of it as a bird of interest. Unfortunately, I never achieved a good shot of the spread wing, but found several images that revealed an obvious black leading edge to P10, and a clear black subterminal mark across the outer of an otherwise white wing tip. Also, the head and bill jizz didn't strike me as being particularly Kumlien's-like.

Slaty-backed Gull with raised wings towards the rear left of the image. This shot also contains at least one first-cycle Kumlien's Gull (lower left) but can you see the adult Kumlien's/Thayer's?

Cropped detail from the same shot. The bird of interest is just right of center. It shows a dark eye, 'herring gull-like' or darker gray upperparts, and clearly black primaries. The primaries look matt-black rather than the jet-black of the surrounding adult smiths.

Image capture showing blackish leading edge to P10, and a clear black subterminal mark across the outer of an otherwise white wing tip. Other images (eg.below) show black outer edge to P10.

On the whole, another most interesting gull from Niles Pond.

NB. I'd be really interested to know if anyone's discovered a method of reading the wing tip patterns of Thayer's/Kumlien's on the closed wing?



JPS.

Slaty-backed selection - 01/17

Lovely shot of the much quoted 'String of pearls' effect.

Compare upperparts tone between Slaty-backed Gull (left) and Great Black-backed Gull (center).

What a day it was to be at Niles Pond on Eastern Point, Gloucester. Huge numbers of gulls resting and bathing, many of them close. This adult Slaty-backed Gull was among them looking quite awesome where ever he placed himself, spending at least two and a half hours on Niles Pond today. My last images were taken at 14:55hrs.

This bird looked significantly darker above and much more heavily blotched and streaked than the adult that I saw here on January 10th. At the moment, I'm not that convinced that it's the same bird.

Beyond the Slaty-backed, the rest of the gull show was mightily impressive with over 50 Kumlien's Gulls, about 4 Thayer's (all first-cycle at fairly close range/photo'd) and 5+ Glaucous Gulls. Hybrids included 2+ Nelson's Gulls and a possible Lesser Black-backed x American Herring Gull (third-cycle bird). More on that one in another post, along with a very interesting adult Kumlien's/Thayer's.



All in all, another very rewarding half-day spent at Niles Pond.



JPS.