Unfortunately, my trip to Arizona was not capped by a Rutgers victory in the Insight Bowl, but it was a fantastic trip none-the-less. Rutgers showed they can play with the big-boys, falling just short of upsetting Arizona State in a shootout, 45-40. The 1,210 combined yards of offense was an all-time record for ANY bowl game, ever, so it was certainly exciting. The 8,000 Rutgers fans that attended was the best showing ever by a Big East team in the Insight Bowl. Two and a half days of partying with college buddies wasn’t too bad either! (Oh, and no complaints about 70-degree weather either!)

I have done very little birding out west, so there were a few easy lifers for me to pick up in the Phoenix area. Do to time, and the expense of area cab service, I decided not to got for the Streak-backed Oriole about 20 miles away from our hotel in Scottsdale. Instead, I traveled only 5 miles to Papago Park and the Desert Botanical Gardens. The gardens were beautiful, and full of birds. The diversity of planting attracted a diversity of birds, and the birds were quite tolerant of people. I was able to see, and even photograph my five targeted lifer birds of the trip: Abert’s Towhee, Verdin, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Harris’s Hawk, and Brewer’s Sparrow. I also enjoyed seeing many species that I have only seen once, or have not seen since I briefly visited Tuscon as a kid. Other fun stuff included many Costa’s Hummingbirds, Curve-billed Thrashers, Gila Woodpeckers, Cactus Wren, Gambel’s Quail, Black-throated Sparrows, and many more. The “best” bird of the day, however, was a familiar friend -an Ovenbird! This bird has been hanging out for at least a month at a small pond in the gardens, and while I may have this species breeding in my backyard, I can’t say I have ever seen one perched on a cactus! (I'll post some of my pictures tomorrow)

After the gardens, I hiked some of the trails through Papago Park, but that was not overwhelmingly birdy. The most common species were House Finches (at least this is where they are supposed to be!), followed by more Brewer’s and Black-throated Sparrows. A real highlight was a low pass overhead by a Prairie Falcon.

The grounds at the edge of the Phoenix Zoo, especially the man-made fishing ponds, were quite productive, with lots of Mallards, American Wigeon, and Ring-necked Ducks among others. A low-flying Harris’s Hawk provided a fantastic view of one of the most beautiful raptors in the world.

The next 2 days were devoted to friends, football, and partying (as Rutgers football fans had to make up for lost time – our last bowl appearance was in 1978!). But, I did manage a couple of hours out in the field before I left town late Wednesday morning. I strolled the pathway along the Arizona canal, only a few blocks from our hotel, and enjoyed more studies of common desert birds, and added a few other species to the trip list.