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| A view of Saguaro Lake from the Butcher Jones Trail, Superstition Mts, AZ; 12/23/2011. |
Whenever we visit Phoenix, I always love hiking in the Superstition Mountains in the Tonto National Forest, but when Val's Step-Dad introduced us to the Butcher Jones Trail, I loved it even more. It is a picturesque trek that follows around Lake Suagaro which is a breathtaking sight, mirroring the cobalt blue sky, in the middle of the earthtones of the Sonoran Desert (Above).
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| A colorful vista of the Sonoran Desert, Butcher Jones Trail, Superstition Mts. AZ; 12/23/2011. |
Not only is it a beautiful area to hike in, it also serves as a great habitat for both land and water birds. It was over two years ago during my first visit to this area, that I broke in my then brand new Canon Rebel T1-i. When I was able to capture a series of pics of an Osprey pulling a fish out of the water, I knew I had brought my nature photography to a new level (for me anyway) and made it doubly fun and more rewarding.
On this post I will feature some of the Water birds that were present at Suagaro Lake during our two hour hike (it was two hours only because I dawdle looking for birds). Water birds that I identified were: Great Blue Herons, American Coots, Buffleheads, Greater Scaups, Mallards, Gadwalls, Ring-billed Gulls, Pied-billed Grebes, and a new Lifer for me, hundreds of Western Grebes.
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| The little white dots on the lake are Western Grebes, Butcher Jones Trail, Superstition Mts. AZ; 12/23/2011. |
As I was at the highest point of the trail I saw hundreds of small white dots on the lake (Above). Initially I figured they were Gulls or perhaps even White Pelicans. It was difficult to judge the size of these birds on the vast lake. Even through my 500mm Sigma with a 1.4 extender on, I couldn't make out what they were.
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A somewhat blurry photo of a Western Grebe which was quite far out across
one of the inlets of Saguaro Lake, Butcher Jones Trail,
Superstition Mts. AZ; 12/23/2011. |
As I descended from the high point gradually reaching the shores of the bay (large enough for float planes to land and take off from), I noticed a small group of three Grebes. I knew they were long-necked Grebes but I wasn't sure if they were Westerns or Clark's. A couple of them flew off and joined the large group of "white dots" further out on the lake. Soon a couple of the "white dots" flew in and landed near the lone Grebe that was still in the bay. I figured then that these were all the same species. Sure enough, later while examining my images of the day, the profile of most of the "white dots" seemed to fit with the Grebes that flew in. There were probably some Ring-billed Gulls in the mix, but the vast majority of the water dance were the Grebes. Also after looking up photos of Grebes, it was fairly easy to identify these as Western Grebes (Above). They fit the description perfectly" long neck with white throat and black nape, long narrow pointed yellow bill, dark red eyes. Their Black "cap" covers their eyes like a mask. They have white undersides and dark back and wings, giving way to a lighter grayish tail. They became my 6th new addition to my Life List so far on this 5th day of my week long trip to Arizona. Like its name, Western Grebes are a westren bird, ranging north into Canada's Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchuan Provinces during the summer, and staying as far south as Colorado, Utah and Nevada. During the winter they will migrate along the Pacific coastline, south to the Baja Peninsula and to inland lakes of Arizona, New Mexico and far western Texas. They will stay year round in the higher mountain altitudes of California and Mexico.
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| A male Bufflehead on Saguaro Lake, Butcher Jones Trail, Superstition Mts. AZ; 12/23/2011. |
(Above) is a photo of one of the several Buffleheads that were closer to the shore than the Western Grebes. Other photos below:
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| Saguaro Lake, Butcher Jones Trail, Superstition Mts. AZ; 12/23/2011. |
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| A male Ruddy Duck, Saguaro Lake, Butcher Jones Trail, Superstition Mts. AZ; 12/23/2011. |
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| A female Ruddy Duck, fanning its tail, Saguaro Lake, Butcher Jones Trail, Superstition Mts. AZ; 12/23/2011. |
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| A Great Blue Heron, Saguaro Lake, Butcher Jones Trail, Superstition Mts. AZ; 12/23/2011. |
Tomorrow I will feature some of the land birds that I found along the Butcher Jones Trail.
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