It was an amiable group of about 13 people who braved the rising temperatures to wander around the wetlands searching for birds. Or perhaps in order to earn the cinnamon rolls Linda York was baking back at the main house. Either way, it was fun.
We started out on the ponds, but today the only thing we saw on the closest pond was a "No Swimming" sign. It was a good thing there was this warning, too, as it would have been very difficult to swim there safely. At one point a Canada Goose with two adopted goslings walked across this pond to sit lazily in the shade behind the main house.
We walked, talked, and called out birds we saw as we chattered away walking from the ponds, to the large Cottonwood trees at the east end of the property. We then wandered along the fence toward the ponds and had a Killdeer, (Charadrius vociferus), very upset at us for getting too close to her nest. The vociferus portion of this bird's name is very apt. During our walk there were several Killdeer being very vociferous. We never found a nest, but the birds made every effort to gain our attention and take it away from the nest. They called loudly, ran in front of us, flew in circles close by trying to draw us into a chase away from the area. The only thing we didn't see was the injured wing act, in which the Killdeer drops one wing down and drags it as it limps away in order to make the predator believe it is injured and vulnerable, only to fly away when the attacker tries for the easy meal. As Sandy said, we walked past in order to keep the Killdeer from getting a heart attack they were so alarmed.
We saw a small flock of Yellowheaded Blackbirds that disappeared before I could get a picture. At the ponds we saw male and female Cinnamon Teal, (Anas cyanopthera), Redhead, (Aythya americana) as well as Shovelers and Mallards, Coots and Moorhens.
Sandy was able to help some of us tell the difference between the Canvasback (Aythya valisineria) and the Redhead. The Redhead, which we had at the ponds, has the blue bill with the black tip and the darker gray body. The body is gray as the Canvasback, but the Redhead is a little darker, which is a good secondary feature to look for, but the bill color is a clincher as the Canvasback is black.
(A Redhead between two Eared Grebes)
Don, one of the leaders of the birdwalks at The Living Desert, called out Eared Grebes(Podiceps nigricollis) on the first pond, but no one else saw them. They turned out to be on the second and third ponds, in full breeding plumage. Someone called him the Nostradamus of birdwatchers, seeing birds in the future.
(A pair of Eared Grebes that Don predicted would appear)
(A Ruddy Duck in full breeding plumage)
Later, Elizabeth found a Western Grebe, (Aechmorphorus occidentals), in the last pond we strolled around. This was after she retrieved a used Marsh Wren nest and proudly displayed it as she walked back to the group.
Speaking of Marsh Wrens, (Cistothorus palustris), there were many in the reeds around all of the ponds. One of the wrens was building a nest near the tower. I was able to get closer and got a couple pics of the little fellow industriously weaving his nest. It was fun to note that he used wet pieces of reed that had fallen into the water as material to weave together as a nest. I always marvel at their skill in nestbuilding, without the use of hands. I can't build furniture from IKEA with directions and a helpline, as well as hands and opposable thumbs, so using feet and a beak is amazing to me.
After wandering the ponds and seeing Caspian Terns, White-Faced Ibis flying overhead, a Red-Tail Hawk landing in a large Cottonwood tree near the entrance, we went back to the main house where the cinnamon rolls were ready. Coffee, cinnamon rolls and a couple bird guides were on the table as the count of the day was tallied. Linda's baby ducks, Burrowing Owl, Kestrel, and other patients were witness to the last day of the season. I am sure they were, like us, looking forward to October when the birdwalks will start up again.
(Elizabeth and Sandy on the left working on the count of the day)
You might be a birdnerd if... you hike for hours for cinnamon rolls.
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