Summer Tanager
Photo by Robert Shantz

It was a horde of birders that descended on the park in Yarnell to brave a very cool morning of birding. Luckily, enough experienced birders were present to lead when the group divided in two and headed in different directions to begin their bird search.

Summer Tanagers were obviously nesting there so everyone got good looks at the brilliant red male and the golden breasted female. A pair of Sharp-shinned Hawks swooped and called and, finally; one landed on its nest directly above the birders.

One group saw several warbler species while the other had long looks at the bright blue Lazuli Bunting drinking at the stream. The 20 participants chalked up a list of 53 species although, of course, not everyone saw them all.

Species including those seen enroute were: Gambel's Quail, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, White-winged Dove, Mourning Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Ladderbacked Woodpecker, Western Wood-Pewee, Willow Flycatcher, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Black Phoebe, Cassin's Kingbird, Western Kingbird, Warbling Vireo, Western Scrub-Jay, Common Raven, Swallow (sp.), Bridled Titmouse, Juniper Titmouse, Verdin, Whitebreasted Nuthatch, Bewick's Wren, American Robin, European Starling, Phainopepla, Orange-crowned Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Summer Tanager, Spotted Towhee, Abert's Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Black-headed Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting, Great-tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, House Sparrow.

Birders were: Carol Anne Kinney, Vera Markham, Cheri Laude, Paul Soame, Marilyn Lauterbach, Darlene Gatto, Martha and Joe Emmons, Barbara Kalman, Donna Smith, Barbara Meding, Linda and Marty Gutowski, Bruce Melanson, Bea Raymond, Barbara and George Pinnegar, Dick Fogle, Chuck Richard and Eleanor Campbell, leader.