Birding Class

Fourteen eager would-be birders showed up early at Glendale's Thunderbird Park for the Beginning Birding Class organized by Bob McCormick, Sonoran Audubon's new president. They had come from as close as two blocks away to as far away as Fountain Hills and the Pebble Creek community at Goodyear. Several heard about the class at the Tres Rios Nature Festival in March when SAS volunteers led bird walks and talked "backyard birding" with those who stopped at our booth.

Weather was conducive to being out-of-doors and scads of people invaded the park for their own kind of walking so after some general remarks on what to wear, equipment, and how to look at birds the group went "birdwatching." Nearby Cactus Wrens with a nest and a calling Curvebilled Thrasher became the group's introduction to identification.

After searching the picnic area and sharing it with more people than birds the group divided in two and set out to learn more on the trail led by Bob and Eleanor Campbell.

Luckily the pond at the edge of the park provided some good looks at big birds like Snowy Egret, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron and Black-crowned Night Heron. Other birds seen were: Northern Mockingbird, Gambel's Quail, Verdin, House Sparrow, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Anna's and Costa's Hummingbirds, Killdeer, Say's Phoebe, Abert's Towhee, Inca Dove, Mourning Dove, White-winged Dove, Rock Pigeon, Mallard, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Gila Woodpecker, Kestrel, Pied-billed Grebe, European Starling, Red-tailed Hawk, and Ash-throated Flycatcher.

Participants, most of whom were rank beginners, had a good introduction to an appreciation of birds and their individualities. They were: Bob & Norleen Shelton, Cheryl (Sherry) Thomas, Clint & Cecelia Segraves, Carolynne & Vic Selzer, Diane Aubry, Terry Parsons, Marshall Esty, Charlie Diaz, and Fran Baughman. (Two chose not to list their names.)