Oh right, about that-
We decided to take a fairly last-minute winter trip to AZ at the start of the year. Unfortunately, we didn't go south by the border, where some of the best birds are, as it was a family trip and I wanted to prioritize their enjoyment. My mother in particular had been wanting to visit the Grand Canyon and other geological wonders to the north, so I tried to make it work. While the landscape is very pretty as well in the south, nothing compares to the vistas to the north of the state. When planning, I realized that there would be a number of exciting possibilities this time of year in Northern AZ, and that May or August would probably be better months to visit the south of the state. After having finished the trip, I don't regret this decision at all, and there is only one major thing I'd change if I did it again.
The first birds I saw after landing in sky harbor (Phoenix's memorably named airport) were
Rock Pigeons, not a very exciting start. On the way to Papago park, however, I noticed the
Great-tailed Grackles on top of every telephone pole and traffic light, just like how they were in Dallas, the only other place I've seen the species. I also saw a pair of probable
Harris's Hawk, but I'll need conformation from my (poor) photos before I properly list it.
The scenery in Papago Park was somewhat surprisingly beautiful. Coming from one of the flattest places in the world, any level of elevation variation is out of the ordinary for me, so I was quite surprised to see all of the mini mountain ranges that dotted the Phoenix metro area. Papago park in particular has some spectacular rock formations and being so close to the airport it seemed like a good choice to stop at before heading on to our accommodation for the next few days.
The bird life was also quite good, with a lot of activity from some common species next to the ponds. Right out of the parking lot there were a number of enjoyable to observe lifers. The best part of being in a new place is all of the new species when in a different environment. Even those I've seen once before, like
Eurasian Collared Dove, were nice to see again much more clearly (Even if it is an introduced species). My father also spotted an adorable
Round-tailed Ground Squirrel being pestered by a grackle. How such an easily approachable animal survives in such open and unforgiving habitat is beyond me.
I took the short hole-in-the-rock trail and saw my first wild quails, which was really neat. There was also a
Desert Cottontail hanging out around the
Gambel's Quail. To my surprise, there were also a lifer
Black-throated Sparrow among the
White-throated Sparrows, not one I expected for the location.
I returned to ponds and saw one of my new favorite birds,
Common Gallinule. They are much more colorful than pictures and guidebook illustrations led me to believe, and like all rails, they have spectacular feet. A lone
Neotropic Cormorant represented another species I've only seen in Dallas before. I was quite surprised with how small
Verdin is. I had definitely been expecting a bluebird size, not kinglet/bushtit size! I really grew to love the little yellow faces on this wayward penduline-tit. Cactus wren was surprising in the opposite way - I did not expect them to be so large!
After Papago Park, we went to the neighboring Desert Botanical Garden. I had heard about Western-screech owls that had been hanging out fairly regularly in a cactus hole. Unfortunately, it decided not to oblige for whatever reason on that day and remained hidden. I had to leave about 30 minutes before sunset, so it is possible I just barely missed the bird as it left the cactus for the night as I was told it usually did. A well-showing
Great Horned Owl compensated for this loss.
The other major highlight was a splendidly purple-faced male
Costa’s Hummingbird, which clearly stood out from the
Anna's Hummingbirds and female Costa's.
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher was also a nice lifer I wasn't sure I'd get. I might have also seen a familiar blue-grey, but all the ones I could positively ID were clearly Black-tailed, which is a problem I'd much rather than the other way around!
Surprising misses from Phoenix were Ladder-backed Woodpecker and Gilded Flicker. It's not like I was confusing them for Gila woodpeckers - I took enough pictures of Gilas that I got tired of them, the other two woodpeckers just weren't where I was (Or maybe where I was looking...)
Mammals
Papago Park, Maricopa Co. AZ, Jan 4
2. Round-tailed Ground Squirrel (Xerospermophilus tereticaudus) (Lifer)
3. Desert Cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii) (Lifer)
Feels quite odd to have Desert before Eastern Cottontail.
Birds
Papago Park, Maricopa Co. AZ, Jan 4
34. Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus)
35. Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)
36. American Wigeon (Mareca americana)
37. Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
38. Gila Woodpecker (Melanerpes uropygialis) (Lifer)
39. Abert’s Towhee (Melozone aberti) (Lifer)
40. Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)
41. Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) (Lifer)
42. Gambel’s Quail (Callipepla gambelii) (Lifer)
43. Black-throated Sparrow (Amphispiza bilineata) (Lifer)
44. Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
45. Common Raven (Corvus corax)
46. American Coot (Fulica americana)
47. Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)
48. Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata) (Lifer)
49. Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus)
50. Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
51. Verdin (Auriparus flaviceps) (Lifer)
52. Curve-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre) (Lifer)
Desert Botanical Garden, Maricopa Co. AZ, Jan 4
53. Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)
54. Black-tailed Gnatcatcher (Polioptila melanura) (Lifer)
55. Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna)
56. Ruby-Crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)
57. Costa’s Hummingbird (Calypte costae) (Lifer)
58. Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)
Afterwards we stopped at Costco then drove two hours north to our accommodation in Sedona, Yavapai Co.
Posting this so I don't forget later.