On Thursday 21st two new year birds were at the Green
Valley WWTP at the same time I was. First a
Pectoral Sandpiper was in the deep concrete basin on the southwest corner of
the complex. This species is not rare however it is not really that regular in
Pima County. Several minutes later while
searching a flock of blackbirds for Dickcissel a female Bobolink enters into view. I
wasn’t expecting this species in August, maybe later in September or
October. But here it was mixed in with
the flock of Red-winged & Yellow-headed Blackbirds and Brown-headed
Cowbirds. After several minutes of observing the Bobolink, the entire flock of
blackbirds moved into the dense tall grass bordering one of the basins and I
was not able to re-find the birds. I
searched again with quite a few other birders on Friday 22nd and none of us found the Bobolink again.
On Saturday 23rd I guided Charles S. around Madera
Canyon. We started on the grasslands
below Madera Canyon, over to Florida Canyon, and then worked our way up Madera
Canyon. Highlights included: up to six Scaled Quail calling near Florida Wash,
a male Lazuli Bunting feeding
juvenile in Florida Canyon, two Plain-capped
Starthroats below the Madera Picnic Area, a Blue-throated Hummingbird at Madera Kubo, and a single Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher on the
Carrie Nation Trail.
On Tuesday 26th upon receiving a report of a Forster’s Tern
(need for the year) I headed to Columbus Park in northwest Tucson. There I met Andrew who had already checked the
main lakes so I head south to the Silverbell Recharge Basins and Andrew heads
to Sweetwater across the Santa Cruz River.
Neither of us find the Forster’s Tern.
On my way back home I also try Kennedy Park and find it tern-less.
With the Pectoral Sandpiper and
the Bobolink, my year list stands at 381.
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