Page Springs 3/24/12: NICE!

[gbotello]

Some nice activity at Page Springs on 3/24/12. FOS Yellow Warbler, Lucy's Warbler, Turkey Vulture. Birds were singing everywhere! Ducks are pretty much gone.

I also saw an American Crow which ebird seemed to think was rare there.

On the way down to Sedona on 89A a FOS Osprey flew over my car. FOS Violet-green Swallow in my yard, as well.

Spring migration seems under way.

A full list for the morning:

31 species

Mallard 3
Ring-necked Duck 1
Common Merganser 3
Gambel's Quail 4
Great Blue Heron 6
Turkey Vulture 4
Bald Eagle 1
Common Black-Hawk 2
American Coot 3
Killdeer 2
Belted Kingfisher 1
Ladder-backed Woodpecker 1
Black Phoebe 4
American Crow 1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 6
Bridled Titmouse 2
Verdin 1
Bewick's Wren 6
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
American Robin 2
European Starling 20
Lucy's Warbler 8
Yellow Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 6
Abert's Towhee 2
Song Sparrow 1
White-crowned Sparrow 6
Red-winged Blackbird 6
Great-tailed Grackle 12
House Finch 1
House Sparrow 4

Gary

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Pics:

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Also, FOS Tow-tailed Swallowtail.

[richarmstrong]

1. i think american crow is quite rare in sedona/cottonwood area.
2. the jerome cbc had 0 and as i recall camp verde cbc had 0. the sedona count had 1 group of 11 at golf course in voc, and people cheered that report.
3. lucky for me that golf course is only about 3 miles as crow flies and we had 4 over our yard 1 day.
4. and that is my only sighting of crow - never in any sedona parking lots or shopping centers.
5. seems weird they don't come down, but they don't seem to
rich armstrong
928-282-3675

[gbotello]

Thanks for the info, Rich.

I guess I am guilty of not paying enough attention to crows when I am in the field, but come to think of it, I can't remember seeing any in the Sedona area in the past.

Well, I am glad i paid attention to them yesterday and snapped at least one photo of them.

Gary

[gbotello]

Just as an update to all of this, the reviewers at Ebird seem to feel that I did not see an American Crow, but rather a Common Raven.

Well, if so, it won't be the first time that I have been wrong.

Gary

[bhealyphoto]

It does have that tapered tail in your photo- which suggests a raven. Nevertheless, it is really odd they are so rare down there.

[Mark Stevenson]

It's not really that odd that birds have habitat preferences and that non-migratory species don't wander a whole lot even when they have a large population base. Another crovid in AZ, Chihuhuan Raven is very common in its preferred habitat in SE AZ yet you won't find one in Phoenix, leastwise above the Rim. Crows do make irruptive movements and in some some winters there may be individuals or even flocks of them south of the Rim, but even then they have preferred areas.

Check out the range maps for American Crow and Chihuahuan Raven in your field guides.