Yuma
- Phoenix
Apr
4-8, 2002
-
70-88
degrees
-
Henry Detwiler
Once again, on the way to and from Luke AFB,
during lunch hours, and after work, I went exploring and snapped some
bird photos.
103
species (list follows at end
of page)
Click on
thumbnail pictures for full-sized shots.
Mittry Lake, although slightly
out of my way, was my first stop. I wanted to hear some rails, and
before too long I had lots of Virginias, one Clapper, and two Black
Rails. A nice bonus was a calling Least Bittern.
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Not much
time for birding after work on Thursday, but I was fortunate to
get pretty close to this Horned Lark.
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Horned Lark
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Male & Female
Cinnamon Teal
Female Red-winged Blackbird
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The Gila River
next to Estrella Mountain Park provided some nice photo
opportunities on Saturday after work. Most ducks had
departed, but there were still plenty of teal &
mallards. The blackbirds were showing off, but I couldn't
get any males to pose long enough for a photo.
|
| Yellow-rumped Warblers were in their finest breeding
colors. Other nice birds were a singing Vermilion Flycatcher
(at top of page) and a hungry Western Kingbird. |
Yellow-rumped Warble |
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Western Kingbird
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Black-bellied Whistling
Ducks
On Sunday I found a
wet grassy field with Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, Mallards, Black-necked
Stilts, and a Solitary Sandpiper. And along the canal were two
Burrowing Owls.
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Phoenix Sunset --
flooded field off 99th Ave close to the Gila River
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Brewer's Sparrows
Brewer's and Black-throated Sparrow
drinking at a water hole
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Black-throated Sparrow
On the way back to Yuma I
stopped at Robin's Butte Wildlife Area (close to Buckeye) and
found these sparrows at a drying pond.
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The Brewer's Sparrows were singing up a storm, but the lone
Black-throated Sparrow was silent. Also at this AZ Fish
& Game site was a Prairie Falcon and a coyote. The palo
verdes and mesquites were very green, in marked contrast to the
dry desert underbrush.
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Brewer's Sparrow
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Palo Verde in bloom along
the Gila River |
Yellow-rumped Warbler
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