The Boyce Thompson Arboretum is situated about 45 miles west from
Phoenix on Highway 60 towards Globe, just before Superior. It is a delightful
place to spend some time with spectacular scenery and a superb collection of
plants from desert regions of the world. eBird’s Hotspot Explorer gives a list
of 249 species seen at the arboretum from 1085 checklists submitted, so my list
of 27 seems paltry in comparison.
During the winter they do not open
the gates until 08.00, so I had managed to use up the remainder of my “Tonto
Pass” at Coon Bluff to while away
the early hours.
My first job was to check out the Turkey Vultures. There was a great many of them circling even at
this time and there was a chance that I might find a Zone-tailed Hawk amongst them.
Not this morning, but the grapevine
carried news of a Broad-billed Hummingbird
to keep a look out for. The main trail describes a loop around an outcrop of
rock and I was advised to follow the trail in a clock-wise fashion from the hummingbird
feeder at Google Earth ref; 33 16 46.38N 111 9 30.42W. The whole circuit was
probably less than a mile and a half.
It took me up towards the lake where a
pair of Pied-billed Grebes backed
away as I approached. The Hooded
Mergansers were not shy. They were later seen mating, so their minds were
possibly on other things. Reeds by the pool held a Marsh Wren while the bushes around held the inevitable Phainopepla and a Bell’s Vireo, whose song I was now becoming quite familiar with.
The trail headed up and over the rise
and down into a very picturesque canyon on the other side. A stream flowed
along the bottom of the cliffs, spanned by a charming suspension bridge.
A Lincoln’s Sparrow was seen from the
bridge while a hawk sat up high on a plant stem, but refused to turn around to
be identified. A Red-tailed Hawk
flashed past shortly after and I made the assumption that they were one and the
same bird.
Looking back, I should have been more
diligent in checking the cliffs as a Golden
Eagle had been seen in the area.
My highlight of the day came near the
herb garden. I had stopped to watch a female Anna’s Hummingbird feeding from the flowers here and watched as she
buzzed up to a nearby bush, hovered momentarily then alighted at a nest.
Two hungry bills shot out to vie for
food and she obliged by inserting her long bill down their throats. Her throat
made a pumping motion as if she was regurgitating for her young.
The lowlight of the day came in the
form of an Empidonax flycatcher. It made no sounds and the only notable feature
was a quick flick of its wings as it settled after flying out for an insect. I
say lowlight because I hate to find birds that I can’t identify and I include
most Empids in that bracket. But I managed to get a photograph and was able to
eliminate all of them, so I started again. I have entered Hammond’s Flycatcher as that is
what my gut tells me, but the lower mandible is all orange suggesting an
erstwhile Western Flycatcher. Any help will be gladly received.
Towards the end of the walk, I
managed to get a picture of a Northern Cardinal and couldn’t help but notice
that it seemed brighter and longer-tailed than I was used to seeing.
Bird list for Boyce Thompson
Arboretum; 27
Hooded Merganser 2, Pied-billed Grebe
2, White-winged Dove 1, Inca Dove 1, Anna’s Hummingbird 5, Costa’s Hummingbird
1, Broad-billed Hummingbird 1, Gila Woodpecker 1, Hammond’s Flycatcher 1, Bell’s
Vireo 4, Common Raven 1, Violet-green Swallow 5, Verdin 5, Marsh Wren 1,
Curve-billed Thrasher 1, Phainopepla 6, Lucy’s Warbler 4, Yellow-rumped Warbler
4, Abert’s Towhee 6, Song Sparrow 1, Lincoln’s Sparrow 1, White-crowned Sparrow
5, Northern Cardinal 6, Great-tailed Grackle 2, House Finch 5, Lesser Goldfinch
20, House Sparrow 10.
Sharp-shinned Hawk
The arboretum opens at 08.00 until
May when the gates are flung wide at 06.00.
There is a $10 charge for entry and
the parking is free.
Visit the dedicated USA and Canadapage for more posts from Phoenix.
Birding, Birdwatching, Phoenix,
Arizona.
No comments:
Post a Comment