Area
around Betty's Kitchen & south Mittry Lake
Dec 16,
2000
0700-1700, Sunny, 55-70
The
Christmas Bird Count!
70 species total
It was just getting light when we started our count at Betty's
Kitchen. The search for birds along the riparian trail started out
slowly, but as the sun warmed us and the birds up, they started moving
around, chirping, and singing.
Say's Phoebe |
Next we drove to the overlook above Mittry Lake,
where we counted thousands of American Coots, a few dozen Western
Grebes, and smaller numbers of assorted waterfowl. We also
tried to raise the Black Rails, but the only response was from a
couple of Virginia's.
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| Our next stop was at an old date ranch south of
Betty's Kitchen. I flushed a Barn Owl from a palm tree,
and in a Mesquite we found a small flock of Western Bluebirds. |
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Say's Phoebe
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We were fortunate to get excellent looks at an Eastern Phoebe
in and around a Cottonwood nursery just north of Betty's Kitchen.
I never could get any photos of it, but there were obviously plenty of
cooperative Say's Phoebes around.
In the desert hills east of Betty's Kitchen we saw and heard quite a
few Rock Wrens and two Mountain Bluebirds. We called it a day
around 5:00PM.
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