Las Aventuras: Arizona Waterfowl

Greetings everyone! With fall migration upon us and wintering birds arriving,  I'll be writing a series of posts on Arizona birds. I'll discuss the common or rare occurrences of these birds in the state of Arizona. So if you come to Arizona, what should you expect to find as a birder?  Part one of this blog series focuses the AZ waterfowl. 

Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks.  While not a super rare duck for the lower half of the US, one needs to be in the right areas to find them.  In Texas, they are everywhere. But if you're in Arizona, where and when can you expect to find them?  They are really common during our summer months here in Southern Arizona during monsoon season.  In places like Rio Rico or Amado, you'll often find them with little babies.  Phoenix has a small population that lives there year round.  During our winter months, they are difficult to find as they do slightly migrate south into Mexico.  On occasion, I have seen a group in February or March when they are considered "rare" for the state. This is often a duck birders search for here in Arizona.  

My first record of Fulvous Whistling-Ducks in Costa Rica

Several ducks I always keep my eyes open for during our migration and winter months are the Fulvous Whistling-Ducks, Baikal Teal, Garganey, Harlequin Duck and Tufted Ducks. These are considered EXCELLENT birds and the gems of the AZ birding community. This year, the Fulvous Whistling-Ducks were seen in the city of Glendale at a Recharge Pond.  

A Long-tailed Duck shows up at the Glendale Recharge Pond in Phoenix and stays for quite awhile!

Speaking of rare AZ appearances, the Long-tailed Duck.   This duck is very common in Wisconsin. I'm so used to finding them in icy waters along our Lake Michigan piers.  So for one to appear in Arizona?!? Yes, it does rarely happen. This is one of my favorite ducks to observe in the wild.  During the months of December and January, AZ listers should keep an eye out for this bird.  Long-tailed Ducks are NOT common at all here but a few do stop and recharge for a day or more around the lakes and recharge ponds.  With this Long-tailed Duck, he stayed for about a month!

Green-winged Teal

So what waterfowl can you easily expect to observe in Arizona? During the winter months, birders find lots of wonderful ducks!  And the ducks aren't afraid of you either.  Back in Wisconsin, they tend to stay far away thanks in part to hunting.  They know that people will shoot them.  Here in lovely Arizona, many of the ducks find a safe refuge at our local parks and golf courses. I remember one time a birder told me how shocked she was to have Canvasback come right up to her!   

Canvasback

Anyhow, Canvasback, Redheads, Mallards, Ring-necked Ducks, Gadwall, Bufflehead, Green and Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers, Northern Pintail(they still tend to be shy), Cinnamon Teal(this is one people look for here), and Ruddy Ducks are all pretty common.

Redhead

So what's MORE difficult to find?  To step up your game, you'll have to have patience. You'll comb through the endless American Wigeons and regular ducks to find those "less common" birds.  Take for example this Wood Duck.  They can be tricky, but they are present if you know where to look. 

Wood Duck

However, if you see a Mandarin Duck, don't get too excited. OR DO GET EXCITED!  If you play the ABA game, they don't count here in Arizona.  They are pretty though.  Every single time one pops up, I have to listen to ABA birders talk about how they are escapees from the Phoenix zoo with a small breeding population.  Ok ok, I get it ABA peeps, this duck isn't worth your time.  It's still a bird and it's still worthy of a pic:)

Mandarin Duck

Other ducks NOT countable if you play the ABA game?  Muscovy Ducks.  They are also considered escapees from somewhere.  Apparently people love to eat them.  If you want your Muscovy to count, you'll have to go to Florida to add them to your ABA list. My true experiences with Muscovy Ducks are that they are EXTREMELY shy in the wild.  

Domestic Muscovy Ducks and Muscovy Hybrids are seen occasionally in Arizona

The Scaups.  During our winter months, we have both Lesser and Greater Scaups.  I know both these birds well.  I think my spirit bird is the Greater Scaup.  I found one this year in Tucson for the birder club.  Lesser Scaups are very common here during our winter but Greater Scaups are NOT AS COMMON.  But that's what makes them fun.  With a little patience and confidence, a birder may find one hanging out with the Lessers.  They are considered "rare" here but I would say they aren't as uncommon as many think.  Look for the wide nail on the bill, the rounder head and the wider white area around the bill to help with the ID.  The Greater, as suggested in the name, is also larger than a Lesser Scaup. 

A female Greater Scaup

The Mergansers. There are three species and they all winter here.  The Common Mergansers are common here.  The Hooded Mergansers are fairly common in the right areas.  The rarest merg is the Red-breasted Merganser.  However, they regularly show up every year in the state in deeper waters.  Sometimes they do make a quick and rare appearance at our local watering holes.

Hooded Merganser

The Scoters. Yep. We get all three scoters here.  I was shocked as well.  They also can show up during our winter months and are what I would consider rare.  A birder must check the deepest lakes, many times with a scope, to see these birds. During a winter storm, a Black Scoter was blown into the Tucson area.  A year later, I saw my first Surf and White-winged Scoters up in the Phoenix area. They ARE rare and usually are found in December.  

White-winged Scoter

The Goldeneyes.  Both are fairly common in the right habitat.  They are both regular to the state and can reliably be found in certain areas.  The Common Goldeneye can be quite common.  The Barrow's Goldeneye requires a little patience because they look similar to a Common Goldeneye. SO read up on your field marks!  Generally it is found up in the Lake Havasu area where the bird will winter. 

Common Goldeneye

Wigeons.  And finally, let's talk about our wigeon crew.  American Wigeons flock to Arizona in the THOUSANDS during the winter months. A few do stay during our summer months.  American Wigeons are easily found around our area but it's the Eurasian Wigeon that everyone hopes to spy.  Over the past several years, a Phoenix park and a lake in Willcox have been home to several Eurasian Wigeons.  They can be a regular "rarity" among the thousands of American Wigeons.  The trick here is having a little patience and picking one out from the crowd:)

American and Eurasian Wigeon side by side

Winter birding is fun and relatively easy.  It's made better with a scope and a cup of coffee.  There are MANY more birds that are found alongside our AZ duck crowd and I'll cover those in the next several blog posts.  Our next feature will be geese and swans. As we get into different bird groups, things will get more interesting as theories begin to develop for certain birds.  Until next time....

Two Birds Are Better Than One

Black-capped Gnatcatcher

On a beautiful and relaxing weekend out, we went searching for 2 new birds to add to the Arizona State list. It was cold and it felt good to be on the trails again for long periods of time.

White-faced Ibis

Our first count happened at Patagonia Lake State Park for the rare(to the US) Green Kingfisher.  It's a pretty bird that happened to be hanging out in a beautiful location. 

The waterways of Patagonia

These past two months close to home have been fun for me because the riparian corridors in Southern Arizona have been really exciting to explore.  And it seems like the birding trend has been for birders to explore these spaces more.  The weather was perfect and the bird finds were fantastic.

Bewick's Wren

Besides all the regulars we get, we had a whopping 10 rare species show up on our count over a 5 hour time period! Yes.  We were on the trails for 5 hours because the weather was SO nice.

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

We also went to help out with the CBC counts down in Patagonia.  I didn't sign up at all because I couldn't commit to the dates.  Originally we were supposed to go up to Mt. Lemmon but a snow storm hit the mountain and made it difficult for us to help that CBC count.  My car is a simple one. She's not rough or rugged like other birder cars.

While we were down there, we were able to relocate the Green Kingfisher and help the crew find some new species to add to their counts.

Hutton's Vireo

The photo of the Green Kingfisher below is a stock photo of the many we have seen down in Mexico. It's a very pretty bird.

As we were finishing up our counts, we saw a gull fly towards us.  Gulls in Arizona are fun because we obviously don't get to see them often in the desert.  But a Pacific Storm had rolled through the area bringing with it a Pacific Loon(expected rarity during this time of year) and a California Gull.

California Gull at sunset

People had said there were Ring-billed Gulls in the area so I had expected to see this more common gull.  Then I saw the red dip on the lower bill and I knew we had a California Gull. Again this bird isn't unexpected, but it does show up as rare.  Patagonia State Park is expensive and the 20 dollar entrance fee is too much.  Unfortunately, this will be our last trip there until that fee comes down.  However, we had an amazing day out finding at least 77 species of birds. Here is our count.

Cackling Goose

As Sunday arrived, I had one more bird I needed for my AZ state list, the Long-tailed Duck. It's a crazy bird for our state.  They do show up from time to time in December.  A couple years ago, one showed up on Christmas Day and then disappeared shortly afterwards.  For those who could break away from the Christmas formalities, it was a gift.

Hammond's Flycatcher

So when this one showed up a week ago, I thought it wouldn't stick around for the weekend.  Then it did.  And that's when I made the decision to go.

Northern Cardinal

However, this location, the Glendale Recharge Ponds, is not so pretty and not really so much fun to explore.  You just show up and look at the basins to count birds that are usually too far out to see without a scope.

Pyrrhuloxia

When a birder arrives at this location, they are greeted by lots of graffiti. I've been told that some people have had things stolen or worse.  Just recently, a man hung himself from the bridge.  There was an altar to remember him as we parked our car at the "entrance". 

The canals of Glendale Recharge Ponds

I called my friend Gordon on a whim to see what he was doing and he's like....yeah, let's go birding!  That was awesome.  Even though he had seen the bird, he wanted to go out and bird for awhile. Plus, he is a master of kung fu and jujutsu.  So he warded off the bad people as we scoured the ponds for the Long-tailed Duck.  While we were there, we witnessed a lot of poaching along the canal.  Several people were collecting fish illegally.  When we moved to their location, they moved away but not without collecting several buckets of fish.  So here is my advice for this popular birding spot.  If you are visiting, go during the day and with a friend.  Many locals go alone but only because they are familiar with the area. 

Long-tailed Duck

Coming up next week, Las Aventuras hits the road once again to find new birds.  I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season.  Until next week.......

Frozen Pursuits

Point Beach State Park

At the end of it all, I returned back to my hometown in Wisconsin. Arizona is a great place to bird, but my interest these days centers around this Great Lake state.   Today I have a lot of questions about the Two Rivers and Manitowoc areas. I grew up here playing in a lot of the fields, forests and farmland along Lake Michigan. I'm now exploring as an adult and have many many questions. As I spent time with family, I, of course, wove in the necessary birding needed to find several important life birds. 

Long-tailed Ducks

I believe my book studies of the state are now leading me to a return home for the summer. On this trek, weather played a strong role in what I could and could not do.  A major snow storm blew into the area and disrupted my bird tour.  It was frustrating but I liked relaxing with the family at the same time.  

Snow Bunting

Both the Manitowoc and Two Rivers harbors are excellent for scoters, loons, ducks, rare gulls and many other amazing birds like the Snow Buntings and Long-tailed Ducks above.  

Then it was off to the Killsnake State Wildlife Area(also within Manitowoc County) for Short-eared Owls.  I had a fantastic observation as 10 owls were on the hunt.  As one of them caught lunch, they all descended into the grasses and disappeared.  Pretty amazing show!

Short-eared Owl

Everyday was overcast. And some days were downright blustery. At one point, water edged both sides of the road and had me a little nervous.  

Killsnake Wildlife Area

I had never heard of this area before nor had my family.  The birds educate me about their habitat and force me to discover new places. 

As I returned from my venture, I stopped for a quick lunch and watched this Ring-billed Gull hang out in the parking lot. 

Ring-billed Gull

Another great spot for Common Redpolls, American Tree Sparrows and Northern Saw-whet Owls is the Woodland Dunes Nature Center off of Highway 310 in Two Rivers.  I was hoping that Common Redpolls had arrived but I was a bit early for these birds to see them at the feeders.  Right now they are hanging out in the woods along with the White-winged Crossbills:) However, I did have nice observations of several birds I don't get to see often. 

Woodland Dunes Nature Center

Then I heard about this Snow Storm Ashley being discussed at the nature center.  It was scheduled to hit Two Rivers Tuesday night.  The bitter wind had kicked up and birds were quiet.  In fact, many of them had all but disappeared. Where do they go?!?!  And right before the storm, there was a feeding frenzy at the feeders. 

American Tree Sparrow

Birds flew in and out and they filled their bills with seed and suet. 

Red-bellied Woodpecker

One of the most difficult challenges on this trip was locating a rare Whooping Crane.  They are not posted on ebird nor are they to be mentioned by others about their location. Their protected endangered status and numbers parallel that of the California Condor...except that their locations are kept hidden. For an out-of-state birder, this can be very tricky with all the secrets.  But somehow, days before my trip, I had been reading that there still was a lingering Whooping Crane in the area.  Magill and Kathie gave me the extra nudge and courage I needed to explore this HUGE area.  

Horicon National Wildlife Refuge

During my ride into the ever darkening skies, I noticed several Sandhill Cranes in flight.  While I knew I was on my own with this bird, I followed my instincts and followed the Sandhill Cranes in flight.  As I did, I was careful to navigate myself into a farmer's field where they all were landing.  

One Whooping Crane next to a couple Sandhill Cranes

As I parked my car, I scanned the fields and found my bird rather easily!  In a subtle message from the bird gods, I was reminded of my 2015 start.  We went on January 1st to find a "lost" Common Crane in Roswell, New Mexico.   It only seemed appropriate that I would end my year with the last of the cranes needed for my life list in the US.  And it was an amazing experience that I shared alone.  Of course, I had been texting the crew about my chase, but ultimately, it was me in the car alone.  It's times like this one when I wish I could share this important bird observation with my friends.  For several of them, this would be a lifer.   If anything, I now have a better idea where I can take them for this bird if they visit the state. 

Top to bottom and left to right-Common Crane, Sandhill Cranes; Sandhill Cranes, Whooping Crane

Much of my wanderings were done alone.  And there is value in this.  Sometimes it's best to bird alone and keep sharpening those necessary tracking skills.  I like playing a detective whether it's finding a bird or scouting new habitat.  Connecting the dots builds the knowledge base and makes me a better birder. 

Exploring habitat for a future search of the American Woodcock at Woodland Dunes

Meanwhile my Packer loving family was shocked to watch the Pack lose to the Arizona Cardinals:)  Bird power rocks!

Then came Winter Storm Ashley.  More to come from the scenic Wisconsin......