Verdin
Photo by Earle Robinson

An intrepid trio of tireless "twitchers" (as the Brit's say) birded local ponds and areas bright and early on the morning of Wednesday, July 20th. Vera Markham, Shirley Fackelman, and Marshall Esty set out from Site One and made Maricopa Lake, in Youngtown, their first stop. Then it was on to Viewpoint Lake -behind the Lakeview Recreation Center; a quick turn onto Tropicana Circle for a look at a Harris' Hawks' nest completed the local itinerary. It was still before nine o'clock and the heat was not too oppressive and it was unanimously decided to make a quick trip to T-Bird Park & Melinda Lane.

Sightings included: Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Canada Goose and some hybrid geese, Mallard and some cross-bred mallard varieties, Gambel's Quail, Rock Pigeon, White-winged Dove, Mourning Dove, Inca Dove, Costa's Hummingbird and other female hummer species, Gila Woodpecker, Cliff Swallow, Verdin, Cactus Wren, Northern Mockingbird, Curve-billed Thrasher, European Starling, Abert's Towhee, Great-tailed Grackle, House Finch. Twenty species.

Strangely absent were -on the water: American Coots; and on land: House (or English) Sparrows.