Finally got around to checking eBird for heretofore unknown/mysterious birding “hotspots” in the greater Pine Top/Lakeside/Show Low area = a great morning outing to the rather surprising Pintail Lake at Allen Severson Memorial Wildlife Area. (Directions: drive 3.5 miles; 5.6 km north along Route 77 from Show Low towards Snowflake, look for the sign on the right.) Bird of the day: a beautiful White-faced Ibis:

Not the best lighting on the Ibis shots, but still get the idea of the amazing metallic/iridescent colouration of even its non-breeding plumage.

Region north of Show Low is a mix of flat/slight rolling hills w/ volcanic rock, grass/weeds, & old growth Alligator Juniper (Juniperus deppeana), other junipers, and scrub oak. Amidst this rather dry area is the “oasis” of Pintail Lake – a surprisingly large artificial wetland fed w/ Show Low tertiary wastewater.

Two main lake sections divided by a levee/dike, + a third, larger wetland area on the east end that’s mostly cattails.

More White-faced Ibis:

Dateline: 1 August 2024

More great Arizona birds, in the pine forest & meadows at the very top of Mt. Lemmon (2,792 m; 9,159 ft) in the Santa Catalina Mountains northeast of Tucson. Lots of beautiful Red-faced Warbler activity (6+ sighted in the same area) on this particular day/location:

Also lots of Yellow-eyed Junco activity on Mt. Lemmon:

Not the best pictures, but still a nice sighting of Orange-crowned Warbler (note overall yellow/olive colour, pointy beak, broken eye ring with slight eye line, & yellow undertail coverts):

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Coming up next time, more Hermit Warbler & more Mt. Lemmon! #more_bird

More bird, etc. content from an early morning visit to Sweetwater Preserve in the Tucson Mountains – great place for “close to town” classic Sonoran Desert hiking/nature, + popular w/ human mountain bikers and Black-throated Sparrow:

Except where otherwise noted, following shots are Black-throated Sparrow:

Very cute picture of a Verdin looking upwards:

Fun shots of Cactus Wren nestbuilding in a cholla cactus (Cylindropuntia genus, particular species unknown but perhaps Cylindropuntia tunicata a.k.a. Sheathed Cholla), at Sweetwater Preserve in the Tucson Mountains just west of Tucson, AZ:

Sadly, time once again to depart the BIRDS field station for returning to Presque Isle State Park and the forthcoming fall warbler/etc. migration. Lots of great ‘desert’ bird activity this year; “new for BirdingPI.com” sightings included Mountain Bluebird, White-faced Ibis, Neotropic Cormorant, Hermit Warbler, Cassin’s Sparrow, & Green Kingfisher (!), even a quick fly-by of Black-bellied Whistling-Duck. Relative to past years, special mention to lots of great Gray Hawk activity, plus extended viewings of Yellow-headed Blackbird & Five-striped Sparrow:

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Plenty more Arizona content forthcoming; in the meantime, very special shots of lovely Broad-billed Hummingbird & Verdin at a Yellow Bells (a.k.a. Esperanza, a.k.a. Yellow Trumpetbush) plant (Tecoma stans) at Tohono Chul Park:

A great/fun comparison of the two North American members of the Cardinalis genus, female Northern Cardinal at Tohono Chul and male Pyrrhuloxia at Sweetwater Preserve:

ID tip: the upper and lower beak mandibles of Northern Cardinal meet at more-or-less a straight line, whereas in Pyrrhuloxia there is a sharp angle/curvature.

El Rio Preserve in Marana, AZ is a great place for birding generally, including plenty of desert hummingbird activity, like these lovely, mostly Anna’s Hummingbirds:

Finally, two shots of beautiful male Broad-billed Hummingbird:

Most excellent to see Mountain Bluebird recently at Scott’s Reservoir outside Pinetop/Lakeside, AZ:

In contrast w/ various Western Bluebirds in the Pinetop/Lakeside area:

ID tip: Western Bluebird male has rufous on breast; Mountain Bluebird is blue all over except for some black in tail.

Any Tanager sighting is great, let alone this uncommon encounter of an adult male Western Tanager feeding a juvenile, in Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest outside Pinetop/Lakeside, AZ:

More feedin’:

The BirdingPI.com ‘summer desert hiatus’ continues apace, w/ beautiful hummingbirds “on and off the feeder” at Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon:

Especially in light of the recent initiative to “de-honorificize” bird names, sticking with Magnificent Hummingbird for this magnificent & beautiful male:

As seen here, the apparent/visual colouration is very dependent on light angle; frequently, these birds can look mostly black:

Finally, a lovely female Broad-billed Hummingbird at a feeder:

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Coming up soon, more hummingbirds! Also desert sandpipers (!?!), both amazing and non-amazing Summer and Western Tanager content, “wrens that aren’t Cactus or House,” exotic bluebirds, the elusive White-faced Ibis, warblers on Mt. Lemmon, yikes – the list just goes on and on! #more_bird