The day after Thanksgiving, I headed down to the valley to chase some rarities that had been reported on eBird. One of the things I love about eBird is a feature where you can subscribe to rare-bird alert emails. The alerts are based on rare bird observations by county. I subscribe to alerts for Pima, Maricopa and Yavapai Counties.
On several previous occasions, I have written about how much I enjoy bird watching at the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch. It is frequently referred to as the Gilbert Water Ranch. This 110-acre facility is the premiere urban birding location in the state of Arizona. It is an eBird hotspot, as 325 different bird species have been observed there.
The Water Ranch is the perfect combination of mixing a public utility with recreation offerings. There are seven settling ponds for treated effluent. Some are just fallow fields, and others have varying depths of water—from a few inches to a few feet. The habitat surrounding each of the ponds is representative of different parts of Arizona.
Between the water and the vegetation, the Water Ranch is like a bird magnet. Sometimes the expression “migrant trap” is used to describe an area that experiences an unusually high number of uncommon, even rare migratory birds that find themselves off course. The Water Ranch certainly fits this description.
Numerous rare birds had been reported there that week, including black and white warbler, Tennessee warbler, northern parula (a type of warbler), yellow-crowned night heron, cackling goose, and streak-backed oriole.
So many rare birds at one location was enough motivation for me to drive the 250-mile round trip. I have to say it was worth it! Within minutes of arriving, I saw the northern parula. Check it off my list.
Next, I wanted to see if I could find the night heron. Fortunately, the place was swarming with birders—with big cameras, spotting scopes, and expensive binoculars. Most birders love to share their bird sightings, and fortunately for me, a fellow birder took me right to the spot where I could see the heron roosting in a tree. Check.
After that, I spent a considerable amount of time looking for the black and white warbler. No luck. I did find a green-tailed towhee, and I was pretty excited about that.
My next target bird was the streak-backed oriole. Again, I never would have found it on my own. Fortunately, there was a whole cadre of birders all looking for that beautiful, elusive bird. At one point, I came across a group of birders, and one of them said they’d seen it just seconds before I joined their group. I waited there for about 15 minutes, but the bird never reappeared, so I decided to move on.
I had walked about 100 yards when I heard someone running in my direction. When he saw me, he excitedly told me the bird was back. I started running, and in my excitement, I tripped and fell—while carrying my tripod and spotting scope!
No real harm was done—I just got myself and my gear a little muddy. I hurried back to the exact spot where I’d patiently waited for 15 minutes with no luck, and sure enough, the bird popped out into the open, allowing several brief, but really good looks. Check.
Unfortunately, I had some time constraints so I had to get back on the road, but I saw about sixty different bird species and three of the rarities that had been reported for that location. I considered it a very successful day!
Until next week, Happy Birding!
Eric Moore is the owner of The Lookout, in Prescott, where you will find a Hallmark Gold Crown Store, wild bird products, and Vortex and Swarovski optics. Eric has been an avid birder for over 55 years. Eric can be contacted at eric@thelookoutaz.com.
