Thursday, March 14, 2013

Call the Bluff

Out east of Phoenix there are several fantastic birding sites along the Salt River. The most well-known, and perhaps the all-round birdiest site, is Granite Reef, which is also the farthest west and provides a trail to the Granite Reef dam, where one can see concentrations of waterfowl a-plenty. But farther east are other attractions which, though comparatively lacking in their waterfowl, have really neat mesquite bosque and chaparral habitats that are absolutely teeming with birds during the right time of year. I swung by Blue Point earlier this winter for a fabulous Red-breasted Sapsucker, and weekend before last I hit up Coon Bluff after stopping by Red Mountain Park for some singing Bendire's Thrashers (see earlier post). 


The Coon Bluff site is stunning, especially as the wild grass shoots up and the scraggily trees bud out after a recent February downpour. That being said, I was a bit unlucky with my timing. When I arrived at the parking area ($6 Tonto National Forest permit required) I discovered the Phoenix metropolitan area boy scouts had planned a full scale, D-Day invasion of the place. I don't mean to sound grumpy, and in fact I was glad to see many people out enjoying the fabulous weather and scenery, I just had to move my birding site farther east than I would've preferred. Ultimately it worked out fine. 
I've been on a bit of a Flycatcher binge lately, and with a particular desire to find and photograph Gray Flycatchers I set out into the mesquite bosque looking for little dull empids. Inevitably, my attention was drawn to the larger, louder, more conspicuous and totally suave Phainopeplas. 


The mesquite trees host hemi-parasitic mistletoe which provide sustenance and lodging for the Phainopeplas. Find some ripe patches of mistletoe, and the treetops will be littered with these cool birds. There were acres of scrub where it seemed like every single tree had its own resident, chatty set of birds. Don't let their red eyes and silky aesthetic fool you. These birds are shameless gossips, as bad as Wrens or elderly neighborhood sodalities. 


The bird sightings tended to come in waves, with mixed flocks moving through and giving one a couple of minutes to try and pick out all the species before they'd inexorably and without apparent coordination, simultaneously move on in a random direction. As one would expect, there were plenty of White-crowned Sparrows and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Lark, Brewer's, and Vesper Sparrows also made it into the mix, while Say's Phoebes and Vermillion Flycatchers impressed with their overhead acrobatics. In the first few hours I picked out three or four Gray Flycatchers but was unable to get satisfactory photos of them. Normally this would be more vexing, but I was content in the knowledge that soon I'd be driving down south to greater concentrations, to strike into the very heart of the Gray Flycatcher nation in Patagonia. 



While out romping around and whooping it up, I also bumped into four British ladies (I didn't literally bump into them; that would've been awkward) who were exploring the bosque with lots of camera equipment and were in search of wild horses. I hadn't given the distant horse noises much thought until then, for when I heard the neighing and whinnying I assumed it was trail-riders and didn't think there was such a thing as wild horses in this area. I kept my personal misgivings private and directed them towards the noises and fresh droppings I noticed earlier that day. And yes, noticing droppings did make me feel like a real live naturalist. I didn't see the ladies again but hopefully they had some luck. I found three different groups of horses during the outing, none of which seemed particularly wild, other than that they were in a non-fenced area. One way or another, here's a cool attraction at Coon Bluff.


Eventually I progressed to the Salt River itself, which being rather thin and shallow at this point, did not host much in way of birds. A few pairs of Common Mergansers were squabbling farther west, and a lonely Great Blue Heron stood vigil at the banks. It's always kinda funny to find the water/riparian habitat to be less birdy than the surrounding desert, but that's the nature of how vegetation grows there.


I did have my FOY (first of year) Western Bluebirds at Coon Bluff, and some of the cottonwoods along the river did allow for better photo opportunities than I'd managed earlier in the day. They may be less iconic than the Eastern Bluebirds, but I gotta argue that the Westerns are prettier. In the right light (not pictured), their colors are positively electric.


The birding diversity at Coon Bluff isn't as high as at Granite Reef, but the openness of the site is very appealing, and since the two are only  few miles apart, stopping at both is the best way to go!

36 comments:

  1. Great photos, especially of that Phainopepla! When I used to live there in the Red Mountain subdivision, these locations were my personal birding patches. Granite Reef, Phon D. Sutton, and Coon Bluff. I had some amazing birding experiences there as a beginning birder...finding a pair of homosapien bipeds mating canine style behind a bush, being treed by a herd of javelina, and many many more.

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    1. Woah! Then I've got so much more to look forward to!

      I hadn't even been thinking about the thrilling non-bird possibilities, though I did tree some javelinas...
      So this couple...where they also treed by the javelinas and were still mating, or are those separate incidents?

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    2. Robert, OMG! that would have set me blushing! I'll stick to the birds, thank you!

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    3. http://www.birdingisfun.com/2011/03/while-i-was-birdinga-true-story.html

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    4. You played it cool Robert. I have no idea what I would've done in that situation--probably said something awkward: "Lovely weather we're having..." maybe, "Someone order a photogrpaher?"

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  2. Great post, Laurence...it made me chuckle several times! Like Robert said, the shots of the Phainopepla are outstanding! The "wild" horses are a beautiful sight also, even if the extent of their wildness is unknown.

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    1. Thanks Tammy.

      I think those horses might be wild in the, "We party really hard" kinda wild, but that's about it.

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    2. Laurence, as a fellow birder and fan of your blog, but also an enthusiastic supporter of the Tonto/Salt River Wild Horses, I'm not quite sure why you've seemed to "diss" their wildness here. What would they have to do seem wild? The Tonto Salt River horses are "wild" as defined under the 1971 federal law: unclaimed, unbranded and free-roaming. They are completely self-sufficient for food, social order, protecting & caring for each other, etc. They receive no veterinary or farrier care, yet most exhibit excellent health and grooming thanks to their adaptation over many decades/centuries to their desert/river environment. They instinctively know where to find food in every season, saving their river food sources for the hottest months when they need the cooling environment. Their foals learn to cross the river within days of birth. This particular herd displays unique behaviors not normally seen in other herds, such as "snorkeling" or submerging their heads up to their ears to feed on the river bottom grass. Having spent a great deal of time observing them for the past year, I've found their wild self-reliance to be quite remarkable.

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    3. Hi Luane, thanks for stopping by and commenting.

      As must have been pretty apparent to you in the blog post, I knew nothing about the situation with the horses. In my experiences at the site, I saw other domestic horses, and having not herd of wild horses in the area specifically, wondered if these wild horses were just, in fact, open-range property of a rancher or somebody in the area. I didn't inspect hem for brands nor spend a great deal of time observing their behavior. It was very neat to see them, all the more so now in knowing that they really were wild.
      I guess my biggest inclination to 'diss' them/their wildness came purely from this solitary experience, which was that when I came upon the different groups, they seemed very approachable and used to people. This is not to say wild animals can't get used to people--of course there are many bird species that do this just fine--but I would've expected wild horses to be more secretive or skittish I suppose.
      Clearly, you're much more knowledgable of these animals and the classifications behind them than I am. I was thinking of the stereotypical, flowy mane galloping stallion on the plains kinda thing.

      As I mentioned in the post, I thought it was cool to find the horses out there. Thanks for better elucidating the situation and furthering my appreciation. Cheers.

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  3. It's always fun to read a post about sites I've visited during my out of state travels. I got my lifer Elf Owl and saw my first US-based Bronzed Cowbird at Coon Bluff during one of my visits to my daughter's home in Mesa. I enjoyed visits to Granite Reef and Blue Point as well. I'll pay closer attention to the horses next time. Usery Mountain Regional Park is also close to my daughter's home and provided my lifer Canyon Towhee. I can't wait for my next visit to the Phoenix area. I know you'll show me some fun birds in great birding spots :) right?

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    1. Ha! I'll do my darndest Jeff, and maybe you'll share some of your photographer know-how and luck!

      Looking forward to it.

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  4. Well, it looks like a great place to bird, Laurence! I love that phainopepla shot! And the bluebird is magnificent as well!

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    1. Cheers Kathie! Not all birding sites bring scenery with the birds in Phoenix, but this one certainly does.

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  5. Are flycatcher binges healthy? To echo everyone else, the Phainopepla's photo is pretty cool and your Western Bluebird is just as lovely as our Eastern Bluebird.

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    1. Thanks Worthy BIrder.

      It's a fine line to walk for sure. It's a healthy binge, I think if and only if it doesn't drive you mad, and there's not a lot of wiggle room between the two possibilities.

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  6. I think the same can be said for birding in general! There's a reason why birders are called twitchers in England. They go twitchy from the madness.

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    1. eesh...I am glad I am not English. That makes us immune right?

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    2. Might be contagious. Like cooties, as long as you've not had contact you should be fine, otherwise....

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    3. Ha! Funny you mention that. I took a British chap out birding this very afternoon. My eye is already twitching...

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    4. The only cure for twitching is more birding... or is it less? Never quite remember. Well it's one or the other!

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    5. Alternatively, you could do neither.

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    6. That one caters to my lazy proclivities...tough call.

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    7. Option three is to prevaricate between doing both or doing neither.

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  7. I adore the Phainopepla images and I am drooling over them. I need to waterproof keyboard! I love following your birding journeys on your blog.

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    1. Hey Mia, thanks for your salivatingly generous comment : )
      That's the nicest thing anybody's ever said.

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  8. Well, Mia said pretty much what I was going to say about wiping off the drool from your Phainopepla photos. Gorgeous stuff.

    There are few things that make me cringe more than arriving at a location to bird only to realize it's school field trip day. And then I feel like an asshole because at least the kids are out learning and doing cool stuff.

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    1. Yes! I know the feeling. Sometimes I really do feel like I've prematurely become a grumpy old man, including when I drool and begrudge things of children and go birding.

      Did you land some Phainopeplas when you were down in Arizona?

      Thanks for the kind comments. With people coming here to drool, I feel like maybe someday we bird bloggers may finally get on even footing with the much more popular food blogs...

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  9. I have yet to visit this place:) Kathie and I will be up this week to search the "Thrasher spot". Too many birds moving in right now and it's a bit overwhelming....put it with the heat and oh.....early morning madness! Yesterday I hit gold and today....86 Turkey Vultures! Everyone is coming back:) Every outing is full of surprises and that's what I love about Arizona. It's on our list but holy moley; so are a billion other places. Crazy fun right now:) Happy birding!

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    1. Woo! Yes, it's a different, better kind of March Madness now.
      Let me know when y'all are heading up; I can maybe meet you for the morning. The Thrasher spot is one of my favorites! I was just out there today with a British fellow and we found all of the big 4 Thrashers, plus plenty of Sparrows and some Horned Larks. It was "brilliant."

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    2. Laurence, this is crazy. I think you and I are both on break right now. Too many places to bird!!! I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. Have to pick and choose all of these places carefully.....congrats on the Trogan and fun adventures. Just saw the report on listserv! Excellent birds out there right now.....just too many of them and not enough vacation to do it all:)And I've got a little sun. We've also had a blow out on Kathie's car. Never a dull moment. We were in Box Canyon off of Greaterville Road and found a lot of great birds. But good tires are needed:) Huge flocks of Cedar Waxwings, Robins, etc etc.

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    3. Oh my..!

      Yes Chris, it's truly an epic week of birding for me, and I hope (and it certainly looks/sounds like) for you too! We dipped on that darn Spotted Owl again, but it was a great day down south. Spending all day birding though...it makes this precious week fly by : )

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  10. "Phainopeplas"? Doesn't he have a more casual name as well? Maybe "Indigo Blaster"? "Purple Yakkety"? Is he about the size of a cardinal? Sounds more like a grackle? I guess I could look it up.

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  11. P.S. Now I've been to Cornell site. Is it just me or is there a faint resemblance between his call and a redwing blackbird or, yes, a grackle? btw, your pics of him and bluebird are terrific.

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    1. I think his nickname is 'Pep' : )

      They're a little more dainty than Cardinals, but the crest and upright postures lends them a very Cardinal-esque silhouette, though their tails are also noticeably longer proportional to the size of their bodies.
      Interesting observation about the calls. I can't say it resonates with me in that way, but I will be the first person to admit my helplessness with vocalizations, even amongst people!

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