Cattail Cove State Park - 2018

Here is where we were eight years ago on the 14th of February, Cattail Cove State Park in Arizona. We were working as volunteers leading bird walks, and because the campground was crowded, we elected to stay in the boat overflow lot. There were no hook-ups for electricity, water or sewer. We recently had solar panels installed on the roof of our Leisure Travel Serenity, so that took care of our electrical needs. On one of our days off we would drive down to the dump station to empty our grey and black tanks and fill up our freshwater tank. Then we would drive into Lake Havasu City to buy our groceries for the week. It was an exciting season, we had discovered Great Horned Owls nesting in the cliffs next to our parking spot, which we would hear in the evening, and early in the morning. This was the last year of 10 years wandering south for the winter. Lots of great memories and many wonderful friendships. 
 

Bird Ramblings - Hummingbirds

We had a lot of excitement this past week at Dallas Retirement Village when Executive Assistant Susan Fink discovered this female Anna's Hummingbird building a nest in a dogwood tree in The Lodge Central Courtyard. Susan went and got Administrative Receptionist Mary Ransier, who took this photo. This is our first Hummingbird nest of the season. Time will tell if she finishes the nest. I always worry that too much human curiosity will cause her to abandon the nest building site. We will be monitoring all the trees in the Courtyard for any possibilities. - Jim Scott  
 

Bird Ramblings - Bluebirds

Western Bluebirds have made an early appearance and have been visible here in Dallas Retirement Village for several weeks. This Western Bluebird was photographed on January 24th at Kirk and Cheryl Wagener's Garden Home backyard feeder. Cheryl had alerted me earlier to their presence. Western Bluebirds always show up early and seem to be interested in the area, checking out nesting boxes. Then, suddenly they disappear for about a month, which I suggest is a honeymoon period, before coming back 
 in a serious effort of nest building.

Eden Gleann Wetland

Yesterday afternoon we stopped by Eden Gleann Wetland.  Located at the eastern end of SE Academy St., it is Dallas' newest eBird Hotspot. During a recent birding trip to nearby Barnard Park, we met a resident of Eden Gleann Community, Linda Barton, and she tipped us off to this amazing new birding location.

 

The best photo of this trip was this adult female Red-winged Blackbird. Hanging around with her was a 1st year female, and out of sight was a male giving off his complicated shrill song. 

This is an easy spot to birdwatch from the sidewalk, and we will definitely be returning. Here is the link to our eBird Checklist. 

Bird Ramblings - Hummingbirds

 This is a photo of a female Anna's Hummingbird taken on January 24th here at Dallas Retirement Village in The Lodge Central Courtyard. We are seeing a lot of hummingbird activity right now, the dogwood trees are starting to bud, and females seem to be selecting a tree to build a nest in. In the coming weeks we will see some territorial disputes, courtship behavior, and nest building. February will bring us some occupied nests with eggs being incubated.   

Van Goes Bye-Bye

Our 2022 Winnebago Solis Pocket was taken this morning to Johnson RV in Sandy, Oregon for sale. Anyone interested in purchasing this well-cared for camping van, call Johnson's at 503-668-5400 

Bird Ramblings - Robin

On January 13th a flock of a dozen or more American Robins were busy feeding on the red berries of a European Mountain Ash Tree here in Dallas Retirement Village. With the cold temperatures we have been having, I suspect that worms may be a little hard to get out of the frozen ground, no problem, the Robins can switch to eating berries. I love the adaptability of birds!