Date: 12/11/25 1:43 pm From: henry detwiler (via aznmbirds Mailing List) <aznmbirds...> Subject: [AZNMbirds] La Paz and Maricopa County Birding
Greetings Birders,
On 6 Dec Suzanne and I drove up to Cibola NWR to see what we could find. Our first stop was at the Island Unit, where we visited a beautiful flooded field which held 70 Greater Yellowlegs, over 200 White-faced Ibis, and a single adult White Ibis! On the Cornfield Nature Trail we heard and then saw a pretty little Chestnut-sided Warbler (#402). The loafing pond had just enough water to hold a dazzling Eurasian Wigeon. No other rarities, but always a treat to see the great numbers of geese and Sandhill Cranes at this refuge.
On 7 Dec I did a Big Day (87 species) in the Colorado River Indian Tribes valley north of Ehrenberg. There is a wonderful amount of habitat there, and a corresponding large number of birds. I started at the lake behind Palo Verde Dam, seeing numerous Redheads and Canvasback among many other waterfowl species. A large flooded field several miles north reminded me of the wildlife refuges in the central valley of California. A hundred+ Sandhill Cranes, over 200 White-faced Ibis, both Snow and Canada Geese, some 200 Least Sandpipers, and a thousand blackbirds were all feasting and wallowing in the muck. As I moved north, I picked up a Merlin and a Sagebrush Sparrow along the levee road, and a Great Horned Owl trying to remain hidden in the Poston Wetlands. At the really birdy AhaKhav Tribal Preserve I had 11 kinds of waterfowl, including 8 Hooded Mergansers. A young Red-shouldered Hawk was feeding along the riverbank. My last good bird of the day was a Prairie Falcon along the main highway leading south.
On 9 Dec I drove up to Lake Pleasant to cash in on the gull bonanza from the prior day. After a two-hour wait the Glaucous Gull (#403) flew in to see what kind of tasty morsels a fisherman was tossing out to some mallards. The Lesser Black-backed Gull was a no-show all day, as was the pesky Surf Scoter. I then took the cross-town drive to Canyon Lake and after a diligent search spotted the wintering Red-necked Grebe (#404)! Then it was back south and west to Veteran's Oasis Park. I scanned from the park's hilltop for a while, and then saw a distant hawk that appeared totally white-bellied (turned out to be a Red-tailed Hawk). I learned later that as I was walking south to investigae this raptor, the "actual" Short-tailed Hawk flew over the hill and continued northward. Despite a few misses, it was a most successful trip--it's really hard to get one, let alone two, new year birds at this late date.
eBird reports with some photos among them:https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/aHdjCl8WJltPBV4A2SGfwFz6gFX?<domain...> - Lake Pleasanthttps://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/k7iiCm7WKmIPmg4AjSOhgFR1azo?<domain...> - AhaKhav Tribal Preservehttps://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/LD5SCnGWL0c3JPBK7UNixFJE9KE?<domain...> - Cornfield Nature Trail, Cibola NWRhttps://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/KKNbCoAWMofP7gWBrS6sGFp9W8i?<domain...> - Island Unit, Cibola NWR
Good Birding!Henry D. <Detwilerhenry_detwiler...>, AZ
Finding Birds in Southwest Arizonahttps://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/ALLSCp9WNpfOjV6vnHJtnFGG1NY?<domain...> Birds at the Salton Sea and in Imperial County, https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/hvn8CqAWOqfkpEwz8UruyFEBwJl?<domain...>
