A Lewis's expedition Saturday Nov 19 2013

When I got up a Great Horned Owl was hooting outside the window.   Owls in mythology supposedly were symbols for impending death, but for myself they always foretell an awakening of the spirit within, as my senses suddenly become sharp with keen interest.  Today I also took it to be a sign of good birds to be seen this day, in which my friend Paul and myself had planned on canvassing our neighborhood for any new migrating specialties.   As mentioned earlier Paul is a sharp birder who seems find incredible birds on his wanderings in mostly under-birded habitats.

We met at woodland road and decided to bird that area first.   A Lewis's Woodpecker had been seen only five miles from here and I wanted to see if any were around the pecan groves along this stretch.  We drove until we came upon a large group of blackbirds, and decided to stop and look for any cowbirds in the flock, or other surprise.   I noticed a semi-large dark bird with fat wings pass by, and thought I caught a glimpse of gray on the nape before it disappeared.  Luckily it flew back and we saw the deep reddish coloration on the belly as well, distinguishing the first Lewis's Woodpecker for the season (and year) in the neighborhood, and apparently only the second one reported for the season in southeast Arizona.  

Red-shafted Flickers, Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, and a Red-naped Sapsucker were also seen on our walk along the road.  A woodpecker flew overhead which had much red on the upper chest and had us scratching our heads as to whether it could be the rare Red-breasted Sapsucker.  We did also find 2 Brown-headed Cowbirds and a Yellow-Headed Blackbird in with the flock of Brewer's Blackbirds, European Starlings, Great-tailed Grackles, and Red-winged Blackbirds.  
Paul also spotted a late or overwintering White-winged Dove.   In a couple hours we had seen 33 species in the rural habitat.  Our last addition was a beautiful Prairie Falcon on top of a Eucalyptus.  

After a break we went to the cattail pond.   At first it wasn't too birdy, but we did see Green-winged Teal, a belted Kingfisher, and 2 Red-naped Sapsuckers on a well-drilled Eucalyptus tree (sapsuckers drill horizontal rows of holes in trees, feeding on the sap and insects attracted to the sugary feast).   As we circled back along the back edge of the pond a Ruby-crowned Kinglet sang out, and was joined by another and a Plumbeous Vireo.  

As we entered a field area bordering the pond it seemed we broke through to another dimension, the "birding zone."  Lincoln's Sparrows flew from underfoot, Orange-crowned Warblers and one Black-throated Gray Warbler foraged in the mesquites, a House Wren scolded from the understory, and Green-tailed and Abert's Towhees called.   A Harris's Hawk looked down from a high snag.  I told Paul that some ten years back I would sometimes find Grasshopper Sparrows in this grassy cienega-like stretch of habitat.  

It flew up from the grass in front of us just like the Lincoln's Sparrows, but something was different about this bird.   It landed too far for our binoculars to register so I quickly focused the scope on this flat-headed Sparrow.  I was elated as I watched the buffy colored sparrow with the bold eye-ring.  It's back was intricately textured with sharp black and rich brown highlights, and light-tipped accents to the wing covers.  The yellowish spot before the eye also confirmed we were watching a Grasshopper Sparrow, a rarity around the city.  We managed

to get closer looks at the bird, and I finally managed a halfway decent photo of this beautiful unexpected surprise!  

Our last bird was another beauty, an Osprey surveying the lake for a fishy feast!   Thank you for your appreciation of our incredible wildlife marvels right in our own neighborhood!