Birding with Michael

This spot is mostly known for its hiking trails. I've been birding here several times, but this time it was truly a special day. I got out the car and right at that very moment I hear the loud chattering calls of a Gilded Flicker. It was guaranteed a Gilded because the Northern Flickers aren't found in the desert, they are more commonly found in coniferous forests and parks. Ok keeping that aside, I let that go and proceeded on birding along the road. The previous time I went there I saw a Loggerhead Shrike which was my first time seeing one.. that's why birded along there in search for a second look at it. As I was walking I birded along a specific patch of saguaros where I've seen the flickers previously. And out popped a female... this very tame flicker allowed me to get sublime pictures that I'll allow the picture to speak for themselves. I already had shots of the male so I'm glad I got shots of the female as well. After I was done with the GILDED FLICKER I...

After finding about Goldwater lake I knew I had to visit. Today was my second time visiting and I also took a short stop for a quick hike at Watson Lake which was an approximate 10 minutes away. The plan was to leave around 10 am (not the prime birding time but that's all the time I had.) First stop was Watson Lake... I didn't really bird much but I was happy with the time I got to spend there. I stopped by the boat dock first, which provided me with looks at some domestic GREYLAG GEESE and some CANADA GOOSE. On the way there I saw some RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS which were abundant. Not only did I bird around the dock area but I also headed north on a trail that provided me with looks at me newest lifer #171 the BUSHTIT. Man, these things are small and very hard to take good pictures of. One second they're perched for a perfect shot and the next they're on to the next tree. What really made me cherish this experiment was the fact that I was watching a fledgling beg for food...