I am not a "Birder" in the true sense of the word. Yes, I know something about birds. And, yes, I have photographed a great many birds. But I don't keep a list of every bird I have seen and I don't go out in the field with binoculars. I go out with my camera. I figure if I need binoculars to see a bird, then I am not close enough for a good "sellable" photo. Since I am almost completely deaf I cannot identify birds by their sound. (Can't even find birds by their sound). I have to rely on sight, both to find and identify. When I first started out, all sparrows were lumped into a category call "LBBs" (little brown birds). While I am still not great at identifying all the sparrows, there are a few I can: black throated, chipping, lark, white crowned, and house. The others I need a photograph and even then I have difficulty.
Waterbirds are a little easier. This is probably because they aren't hiding in trees and flittering around everywhere. (Although many of the sandpipers are as challenging to identify as the sparrows). Waterbirds are typically in wide open space, i.e. a pond, a lake, the ocean, etc. Of course getting close to them can be a problem especially if they are out in the middle of the lake. If you also happen to be in the middle of the lake, then, well, you get something like this:
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| Common Loon |
While Southern Arizona doesn't have quite the water of Washington State or British Columbia, there are a few reliable places. Lake Cochise for example provides a wonderful opportunity for "water" birding. Here are a few photos for a trip I made last week:
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| American Avocet |
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| Black Necked Stilts |
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| White Faced and Glossy Ibis |
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| Killdeer |
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| Long Billed Curlew |
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| Marbled Godwit (with Black Necked Stilts and American Avocets) |
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| Wilsons Phalarope |
That's a nice variety of waterbirds for a 15 minute drive around the "auto loop".
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