Date: 1/12/25 7:46 pm From: henry detwiler (via aznmbirds Mailing List) <aznmbirds...> Subject: [AZNMbirds] SWAZ: Yuma & La Paz Counties
Greetings Birders,
Early on 10 Jan I drove north to La Paz County to visit Cibola NWR. As usual, the sound of bugling cranes and honking geese filled the air as I approached the waterfowl loafing ponds. The huge wigeon flock hadn't yet dispersed, and I was able to pick out the glowing red head of an EURASIAN WIGEON. In the same area I spotted my first NORTHERN PINTAILS of the year, a bird that for some reason is pretty scarce in the ponds and lakes around Yuma. The SANDHILL CRANES were also new for the year, as were the hundreds of CANADA GEESE. A murmuration of hundreds of blackbirds swirling over the fields was great fun to watch; the flocks included both RED-WINGED and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS. Walking the Cornfield Nature Trail was a real pleasure, with skeins of honking SNOW GEESE almost constantly overhead, and dozens and dozens of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS calling from the cottonwoods and mesquites. Unfortunately though, I was not able to catch up with any of the less common warblers and flycatchers.
On 11 Jan I spent a brief couple of hours in the huge ag fields south of Yuma. A PRAIRIE FALCON was a relief to find, since they're not so common down there. There were a good variety of birds, including both WESTERN and MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS, 54 RED-TAILED HAWKS, 16 FERUGINOUS HAWKS, 124 LONG- BILLED CURLEWS, and 48 MOUNTAIN PLOVERS.
The AZ Big Year count now stands at 169.
Several eBird reports with photos:https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/qAodCXYBgvfnwODxOT6fASWd5QW?<domain...>
Good Birding!Henry D. <Detwilerhenry_detwiler...>, AZ
Finding Birds in Southwest Arizonahttps://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/nhDLCYVDjwf3rApzAuGh2Sx7ImP?<domain...> Birds at the Salton Sea and in Imperial County, https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/3TGCCZZEkxiMJQ83QuKiPSB1oiX?<domain...>
