A Hundred Birds For Christmas
Keith Reid-Green
Marcia and I spent two weeks birding in southeastern California before joining family in Green Valley, AZ, for Christmas. We saw 121 species including twelve new birds for us, designated by an asterisk, below.
We flew to Phoenix and rented a car there. Here are the birds, sites and the big bird of the day, if any, in boldface type. Only those birds that are not often seen in NJ are listed. Due to space limitations I can only summarize our sightings.
| Location | Birds and other wildlife observed |
|---|
Phoenix to
Bill Williams NWR | Bill Williams is in AZ, on the Colorado River. 29 species, incl. California Gull, Black Phoebe and Clarks Grebe*. |
| Havasu NWR | Phainopepla (practically everywhere we went) Greater Roadrunner, White Pelican. |
| China Ranch | Near Shoshone, outside the south entrance to Death Valley. China Ranch raises dates; too bad we weren't there for the annual roundup. Excellent birding, friendly owners. 44 species to date, incl. Red-naped Sapsucker*, Crissal Thrasher, W. Bluebird, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, White-throated Swift, Verdin. |
| Death Valley | Great place, but not for birds. White-crowned sparrow, W. Kingbird, lots of Horned Larks. Big bird was a B1 Bomber. |
| Panamint Range | W. of Death Valley. To Charcoal Kilns. Road suitable only for high-clearance vehicles and rental cars. 52 species to date, incl. Brewer's Blackbird, "Oregon" Junco, Pinyon Jay, Mtn. Chickadee, and Lewis's Woodpecker*. Lewis's WP are tough, because of their similarity in flight to Flickers. Look for red face. |
| Sierra Nevada | We got there via Fresno on the last day before snow closed the access routes for the winter. Great birding because there are several eco-zones between Fresno and the Giant Sequoias. 63 species to date, incl. Band-tailed Pigeon*, Steller's Jay, Acorn Woodpecker, California Towhee*. We wanted a White-headed WP, but didn't see any. |
| Joshua Tree NM | Excellent birding here. 75 species to date, incl. Burrowing Owl, Cassin's Finch, Cactus Wren, Gambel's Quail, Costa's* and Anna's Hummingbird, American Avocet and Sandhill Crane. Cassin's Finches look a lot like House Finches, except for the lack of red on the female and the red color on the male is predominant on the head and breast, the same color as the Purple Finch. |
| Salton Sea | Well-known birding spot. Very windy day. 99 species to date, incl. White-faced Ibis, Lincoln's Sparrow*, Long-billed curlew (a whole field full of them) Black-necked Stilt, Ross's Goose*, American Pipit*. We have searched in vain for Ross's Goose in NJ. They are much easier to find in Snow Goose flocks out west. Listed as "common" in winter in the Salton Sea checklist. |
| Cibola NWR | On the Colorado River between Blythe and Yuma. Great birding, but a long way from anywhere. The hundredth species for the trip was seen here-Canada Goose, believe it or not. We saw one group of about 15 birds here, the only Canada Geese on the trip. 105 species to date, incl. Green-tailed Towhee, Abert's Towhee*, Say's Phoebe, Vermilion Flycatcher, and Brewer's Sparrow. Abert's Towhee's are tough to find because they are so secretive. We got about a 20-second look at this one, the only one we saw. A first, it's hard to believe it's a towhee because it's so big (9.5"). |
| Organ Pipe NM | Back in AZ now. 111 species to date, incl. Gila Woodpecker, Black-throated Sparrow, Curve-billed Thrasher, Ladder-backed Woodpecker. |
| Catalina State Park | Good birding in a practically unknown place just north of Tucson. 119 species to date, incl. Pyrrhuloxia, Spotted Towhee*, Bridled Titmouse, Common Ground-dove and Rufous-crowned Sparrow. |
| Madera Canyon | We took our grandchildren up to Santa Rita Lodge to look at the birds at their feeders. Lots of Acorn Woodpeckers and Mexican Jays, and a Yellow-eyed Junco*. Tough bird to find in the US-in fact, southwest AZ is it. Harris's Hawk in Green Valley was the 121st and last bird of the trip. |
To contact Mr. Keith Reid-Green, please send e-mail to kreid_green@msn.com
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