Mittry
Lake Area (Christmas Bird Count)
Dec
15, 2001
-
40-60
degrees
As part of the 2001 Christmas Bird Count, we covered Betty's Kitchen and
Mittry Lake.
64 species (list follows at end
of page)
Click on
thumbnail pictures for full-sized shots.
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Helga and Al
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Helga and Al fed me
juice and muffins at 0600, and then we headed up to Mittry Lake to
begin our section of the 2001 Laguna Dam/Martinez Lake Christmas
bird count. It was still cold and dark when we reached Kool
Corner, but we spotted a pair of Great Horned Owls atop two
telephone posts, just south of their favorite date grove. |
Next to Betty's Kitchen, Helga spotted yet another one perched on
a telephone pole, scanning for an early morning snack. Later
in the morning, we picked out our final owl, with it's beak still
bloody from its final meal. (Click on either of the two small owl
pictures for a full-sized version.)
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Great Horned Owl
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Mesquite & raindrops |
It had rained the night before, so the salt cedars and mesquites
looked quite lovely as they sparkled in the sunlight. We
drove to the Mittry Lake overlook, and soon had soras and Virginia
Rails responding to the tape. On the lake were many ducks
and grebes. At Betty's Kitchen I was lucky enough to spot a
Clapper scurrying over the road. |
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Ladder-backed Woodpecker |
Using the same tree as the owl were a Phainopepla and this
Ladder-backed Woodpecker. They seemed quite unperturbed by
the giant carnivore several feet away.
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Driving the
backroads around Mittry, I covered my Pathfinder with salty water
drops and streaks from the wet salt cedars. In the desert
brush we added quail, Verdins, and warblers. In a wet,
brushy cottonwood/willow plantation we added sparrow
species: Lincoln's, Song, White-crowned, Abert's &
Spotted Towhees.
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Dripping Salt Cedar
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At the sewage ponds for the Yuma Proving Grounds we
counted two large flocks of Northern Shovelers and Green-winged Teal.
Vermilion Flycatcher
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The last few good birds of the day were a Harris'
Hawk and three Vermilion Flycatchers. The Harris' Hawk
may be the last remaining descendent of the colony that was re-
introduced here 15 years ago.
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The hawk was in a lush area west of the Gila Gravity Canal--an area
frequented by many flycatchers, warblers, and sparrows, too. Next year
we'll comb it much more carefully!
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Vermilion Flycatcher
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