Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Christmas Bird Count Red Rock

Howdee all,

So how exciting is this..To participate in the Christmas Bird Count at Red Rock Canyon…we were thrilled.Christmas bird count red rock canyon_014We arrived a little before 6am

There were 12 of us in all..we split up into two groups to cover different areas.

Christmas bird count red rock canyon_017  And the set out to find the birds..

First stop Red Springs in Calico Basin…it was pretty quiet..

We did see Phainopepla’s, White Crowned sparrows, Mockingbirds, Rock Wren. Meadowlarks, Juncos

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The next stop was at at water tank bubbler, built years ago by the Corp of Engineers.

We saw distant views of Western Bluebirds and this resident Big Horn sheep.Christmas bird count red rock canyon_022

Christmas bird count red rock canyon_026A four wheel drive to another birding spot brought, Juniper titmice, tons of American Robins, Coopers Hawk, Juncos, Yellow rumped warblers, RavensChristmas bird count red rock canyon_029 And Scenic beauty

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With these sights…its ok that it wasn't too birdieChristmas bird count red rock canyon_032 Our Coopers…

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From there both groups of six met at Spring Mountain Ranch state park.

A resident Roadrunner greets us.

Christmas bird count red rock canyon_037 The group split up again..some of us birded the pond while others walked the trail.

See the tiny dots on the pond..

Mostly coot…

Christmas bird count red rock canyon_039 Christmas bird count red rock canyon_040  Again..who cares about lack of birds..Christmas bird count red rock canyon_044Loggerhead shrike allowed me great views.. Christmas bird count red rock canyon_046   A distant Great blue heron…hunting for chipmunks?Christmas bird count red rock canyon_052 As we have lunch the resident Roadrunner comes out and asks for a handout…

Sorry …we don't feed wild animals..Christmas bird count red rock canyon_059 We leave the park and travel a bit further to a wash..to see what we can see..

more beautiful views…but..slow birding..

Christmas bird count red rock canyon_065 Onto the town of Blue Diamond…

I felt we should have spent more time here…lots more birds..but we just did a very brief stop thru town to find the Mexican Black-throated Magpie Jay..

The story that the ranger told us was that the Jay was spotted in town after a hurricane in the south about 4 years ago…and has been here since..Escapee..maybe..

We found the bird ..we had obstructed views….but Wow…what an incredibly cool bird with its long tail and tufted head.

jeffs pics_001We are going out again with my twitter friend @Patbumstead from Canada and Bird Canada Blog she is visiting family in the area..

We are hoping for some good views of this Jay. jeffs pics_006We did find a few sleepy Eurasian Collared doves hanging out..Christmas bird count red rock canyon_069

A Red-naped sapsucker was another good find in town..

the visit was so brief..cant wait to go back and see what else we can find in town..

We finished the count at 2pm

Total bird species of the day 47

9 comments:

  1. Congrats on your count, it is great that you were able to help out. Many of the birds you saw would be newbies for me. I would love to see most of these birds. Great photo and the scenery is gorgeous.

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  2. Wow - what fun to do a bird count when it isn't raining! Gorgeous landscape photos Dawn. Red Rock Canyon is now on my list of places to visit.

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  3. What gorgeous shots of the surrounding area.

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  4. Wow, what cool birds, animals and views.. What camera are you using to get these bird close ups? They are great shots!!

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  5. Thanks for the CBC adventure - I especially like the loggerhead shrike - nice shot of a bird that (so far) I have found difficult to get a decent photo of. Thanks for all of your kind comments on my blog. Happy New Year.

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  6. We love the Red Rock Canyon! Your photo's are awesome! We are going back in November 2010 as this year (May 2009) the visitor centre was still under construction!

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  7. I wanted to visit Red Rock Canyon when we were in Vegas in October, but we went back to the Hoover Dam instead. Now I wish I had visited there. Great bird photos! It is a beautiful area.

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  8. Nice shots! There is nothing like birding in the west.

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ok what do you really think?????