Four hardy souls braved high winds and water to bird the Badger Springs cottonwood area and wash down to the Aqua Fria River. The winds where the wash flows into the river were particularly fierce. This was the first time I didn’t see a Black Phoebe.

A highlight of the trip was watching a Red-tailed Hawk flying overhead carrying a huge jackrabbit which seemed almost as large as it was.

Participants were: Chuck Kangas, Fran Baughman, Loretta Richards and Chuck Richards

Considering the weather, the bird list wasn’t too bad and included: Turkey Vultures, a number of Red– tailed Hawks, Mourning Doves, Anna’s Hummingbird, Gila Woodpecker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Vermilion Flycatcher, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Bell’s Vireo, Common Raven, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Verdin, Rock Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Northern Mockingbird, Phainopepla, Chipping Sparrow, Brewer’s Sparrow, Black-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, and House Sparrow.