LeConte’s Corner

I decided to make the Buckeye trip an overnighter afterall. I took a room in Gila Bend and since it was a Saturday night, I had to make a night of it on the old town. I took in the opera, theater, museums, and the arts. I indulged in the leafy parks, elm-shaded boulevards, and unique architecture. Here is my shot of downtown Gila Bend, Arizona, replete with soaring church spires, neon lights, and hustle and bustle. See for yourself:

 

I got out of that place as fast as I could. I arrived at the thrasher spot before sunrise met by silence but in a few minutes I heard a thrasher singing and saw a pale, long-tailed bird singing. Once I got close enough to see the dark eye in the scope, I had the bird, LeConte’s Thrasher. This is a good one for me. Every year I would search for it when I visited my parents in Palm Springs for Thanksgiving, but I never saw one. Last year I came to Buckeye like a pilgrim to Mecca and found one, my first. This year I came back. I had to come back. To add it to The List.

After picking up Sagebrush Sparrow, next stop was nearby Robbins Butte Wildlife Area where I thrashed around for a Bell’s Sparrow but I was never certain enough to call it; there are Sagebrush Sparrows in here too. That’s OK, I can get this one in San Diego in December. On to Santa Cruz Flats for what should have been a sure Mountain Plover at Evergreen Turf Farm, where they crow that they are the official provider of fresh natural turf for the Arizona Cardinals. So here is today’s puzzler: the Cardinals play in a domed stadium. Why do they need natural grass from a sod farm? Look for the answer in an upcoming post. A thorough search failed to turn up a single plover, and none at the West Coast Turf Farm either. A major disappointment. I’d hate to come back and I don’t know if I can get it in Colorado in August. A car full of birders passing by also failed to find one, much to my relief. Others’ failures is good company in this sport. I jumped out of the car for a close Prairie Falcon but, finding no caracaras, I called it a day. I added the following birds today to The List: LeConte’s Thrasher, Sagebrush Sparrow, Great Egret, American Pipit, and Least Sandpiper, pushing the total to 140.