Horned Grebes and other wonderful things

It is an exciting time here in the desert.   It is a time when anything can happen, and the most observant among us gets to find the diamonds among gems.   Our neighborhood has gotten a little press lately praising its value to birds and other wildlife.   It is always pleasant to have other birders in the area since their eyes can see what mine miss, and, if they report their sighting, I can hope to add new birds to our neighborhood bird list, which currently tops 240 species. 

Such was the case about a month ago.   Mark S, who has been a great friend and mentor, dropped me an email about a bird reported on Ebird.  Paul Suchanek had reported a Horned Grebe at our lake.  I had remembered his name from an earlier report of a California Gull, which I had missed, and an

Eastern Bluebird further up the Tanque Verde.  I set out early the next morning in hopes of finding this new bird to our neighborhood list.   Luckily this fine bird was a 2 day wonder, allowing me to fully appreciate the moment.   As I watched Paul came to the lake, and we discussed how similar the plumage was to Eared Grebe at this time of year.   I was thankful he found the bird first because of the similarities, and the fact that some obvious differences are not clear due to the molt on this bird.  The white tip to the bill shown here is distinctive, as is the peak at the back of the head.  Other field marks such as bill shape, post ocular patches, head or neck coloration, and body shape can be distorted depending on the observer and viewing angle. 

As we watched another rare visitor, a Neotropic Cormorant, flew in to the lake, diving for an easy catch of fish.   A Snowy Egret, for which we average less than one sighting per year, stopped over, joining a Great Egret on the far shore.   The cormorant soon joined the party and I was able to get a once in a lifetime group shot of these uncommon visitants.  I am thankful for the unique birding experience that day.    Thank you for your appreciation of our incredible, natural world of beauty right before our eyes.