Arizona

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Black-tailed Gnatcatcher - Scottsdale
In pond #6 of the Riparian Reserve at Water Ranch, I came across two of the small cormorants fishing bobbing up and down in the shallow water. Finally the bird hauled out on the edge and fluttered their wings to dry up in the sun. Further into the park I came across a group of no less than 60 birds in one of the other ponds.
Neotropic Cormorant - Gilbert
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Anna's Hummingbird - Veteran's Oasis Park, AZ
Solitary Sandpiper - Sweetwater Wetlands, AZ Solitary sandpiper picking through the stream at the front entrance to Sweetwater Wetlands Park, Tucson in Dec. This guy made the rare bird list while I was visiting as he was a little out of his range at the time. Michael W Klotz 2006 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Solitary Sandpiper - Sweetwater Wetlands, AZ
Gray-headed Dark-eyed Junco - Santa Rita Lodge, AZ We have two flavors of Junco where I am from, the Slate-colored and Oregon. In Arizona there are a whole bunch more, including the other species called a Yellow-eyed Junco. This Gray-headed version of the Dark-eyed Junco is the closest you can come to the Yellow-eye species. It is almost identical in every way except, you guessed it, having yellow eyes. Here is a great article that talks about the different species and their ranges. Michael W Klotz 2006 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Gray-headed Dark-eyed Junco - Santa Rita Lodge, AZ
Mexican Jay - Santa Rita Lodge, AZ Mexican Jay's are communal like the Pinyon Jays of the mountains. They travel in large groups. This bird was part of one such group taking advantage of the generosity of the Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon. This location is one of the premiere stops in North America with many birds that are found in the cloud mountains of southern Arizona and no where else in the United States. Michael W Klotz 2006 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Mexican Jay - Santa Rita Lodge, AZ
Verdin - Gilbert Water Ranch, AZ Poking through the crevices of this mesquite tree I ran into this desert dweller called a Verdin. They are quite colorful and are fascinating to watch. He was found in the back section of the Gilbert Water Ranch. Michael W Klotz 2012 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Verdin - Gilbert Water Ranch, AZ
Pyrrhuloxia - De Anza Trail, AZ This fantastic little bird seemed to be comfortable enough with my presence while I took some shots. He was on the the Anza Trail in Tubac, Arizona. This particular fellow brought my life list to 289. Pyrrhuloxias are sometimes call Desert cardinals with good reason. One of the tell tale signs to look for is the beak looking all shrunken and bent. Michael W Klotz 2006 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Pyrrhuloxia - De Anza Trail, AZ
Inca Dove - Gilbert Water Ranch, AZ Found this dove in a group of 5 birds along the water at Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water Ranch in a suburb of Phoenix, AZ. They were relatively at ease even at a short distance. Michael W Klotz 2006 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Inca Dove - Gilbert Water Ranch, AZ