Arizona Birds +3 lifers & 99 degrees hot

In the week after Easter, my family had not rented their villa in Scottsdale, AZ. so we decided to travel for some hot sun weather . . . and of course birds!!  Actually, this trip was a quick three day lay at the pool everyday trip.  But with the west coast time change, early to bed early to rise . . . on the road at dark, making it to Cave Creek park at sunrise for this

In the Light, Led Zeppelin

safe Selfie time

I  was at Cave Creek looking for the Bendire's Thrasher, the last of the thrashers for me. Ebird reports where three weeks old.  I did hike some trails, not to far thou. Lack of water and equipment, but two hours and I found some good Arizona birds and many first of years!!

Cave Creek Parkway/Marriott birds:
Gambels' Quail--common on grounds
Swainson's Hawk--road back CC, perched
Harris Hawk--over pool, harassed by black birds
White-winged dove
Rosy faced Lovebirds--now living at Marriott
Costa Hummer
Gila wp
Say's Phobe
Ash-throated Empdix
Verdin
Curved-billed thrasher--no Bendy's
Hooded Oriole--orange and singing
Rufus-crowned sp
Abert's Towhee--at golf course

Lovebirds

Abert's Towhee

Mt. Ord & Lake Saguaro birds:
Pied-billed Grebe
Zone-tailed Hawk--look thru the buzzards, to get a Zone-tailed!!
Spotted sp
Willet
Eurasian-collard Dove
Bells Vireo
Gray Vireo--Lifer #618
Woodhouse Scrub-Jay
N. Rough-wing Swallow
Lucy's Warber--at the lake, life bird #579 seen again!
Canyon Towhee--heard only 😹
 Black-chinned Sparrow--Lifer #617
Scott's Oriole--wow, what a pretty bird and song of the mountains.

Black-chinned sparrow #617

Gray Vireo #618

 If you hear a ping-pong ball bouncing around rugged and rocky hillsides of the Southwest, look for a Black-chinned Sparrow. These small, long-tailed sparrows are gray with a pink bill and brown wings. Only the male sports the namesake black chin. They forage on the ground in chaparral and desert scrub, but they don't stay out in the open for long. They spend winters in Mexico.

Scott's Oriole

 A small, drab bird of desert scrub, the Gray Vireo shows only faint traces of the typical vireo spectacles and wingbars. Song is a halting series of 2 to 3 note phrases with a burry quality.

Zone-tailed Hawk

Woodhouse Scrub-Jay

Buckeye, AZ-- 27033 W. Harzen Rd. birds:
Inca ground dove
Common ground dove
Ruddy ground dove--Lifer #619
20 Peacocks--exotic, non-countable, just loud
Western Kingbird

Which one is Ruddy? #619

4 species in photo, w Lifer!!

Very common in the tropics, this little dove ranges north to northern Mexico, and recently it has been showing up increasingly often in our Southwest. Ruddy Ground-Doves are appropriately named after the bright ruddy-colored plumage of the male, which makes them distinctive from males of other ground-doves.

20 or more Peacocks . . .very loud

Me down the lane getting RUGR

 For not being a birding trip, boy did I bird!!! Thank you mom for the week of sun and fun. We really enjoyed it. How about my Nissan Murano/National Car rental and prepaid gas, one full tank, back on empty, 332 miles

57 species
+3 Lifers
32 FOYS

next up: Life bird in OHIO strikes again . . . I love this state