More Fun at the Gardens

I'm now a card-carrying member of the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix. Between the Gardens, Encanto Park, and the Gilbert Water Ranch, I think I've found a good local triumvirate of birding spots to sustain me through the year. I had a great time at the Gardens on Labor Day, and while I did not get a lot of good photographs this time around, I did see a MacGillivray's Warbler, a Black-Throated Gray Warbler, and a Black-Tailed Gnatcatcher, which were all news ones for the List.

   I did get some more decent shots of Verdins, Cactus Wrens, Cordilleran Flycatchers, and Lovebirds, but Warbler Photography is still a skill I have yet to even approach. It's always nice to be birding though, and Larry Butler 

Senior, Birder in Chief, came out this weekend as well. Company is always great, company with a commanding knowledge of Warblers is even better, and company with one's pops is greater still.

There was also a Great Horned Owl in the Cottonwood Grove, although he was not in the mood for pictures, and the Lesser Goldfinches, Roadrunners, Doves, Hummingbirds, Thrashers, and Quail were again well-represented. As it cools off in Phoenix, I'm hoping for more diversity and photography at both the Gardens and the Gilbert Water Ranch. These adventures always seem to have their one big opportunity too. Last week it was the Greater Roadrunner with a lizard. This week was the Black-Throated Gray Warbler, but I just couldn't focus in time...

And there was also this guy.