Well it's a wonder I have any time for an entry at all, having just slogged through and deleted a mess of spammed comments for online gambling.
It continues to astound me what birds will arrive almost at my doorstep here in Arizona's high desert. A commitment to do some work last weekend to remove He Who Shall Not Be Named from the White House, I couldn't hop on a trip with my buds who went down south to catch an extremely rare Ruff reported at a shrimp farm. Of course, while they were ruffing it, they also saw Black-bellied and Snowy Plover as well as a Vaux's Swift.
Yes, kids, that would have made a four-lifer trip for me. Well, yesterday turned my frown upside-down.
I made a late dash for the amazingly productive Ashurst Lake, startled along the way by a Northern Goshawk swooping in front of me. I was urged along by a morning report of nine Stilt Sandpipers, pretty respectable for AZ. Met my friend Tom and we scanned. The catch was strong: 20 American Avocets, six Red-necked Phalaropes, three Greater Yellowlegs, two Lesser Yellowlegs, a screeching horde of Killdeer, tons of coots 'n' ducks...but no stilts. Undaunted (but with light waning), we took a deeper, more careful look. Homed in on a bird that wasn't hanging with, or behaving like, the yellowlegs. Close inspection revealed it to be, in fact, a juvie stilt. Bam!
But then Tom squinched up at the scope looking at a little peep. I peeped it too. Dark legs, scaly back pattern, necklacy markings around the throat, short, stubby bill, almost no neck...well, damn! A juvie Semi-palmated Sandpiper!
Two lifers for an hour's birding...and Tom treated to Thai food later! Fabulous way to end the day.