Desert Botanical Gardens, Phoenix, Arizona.
21 November 2005

“Desert Botanical Gardens” - that’s a juxtapositioning of words that doesn’t quite sound right, does it?

Well, it may not sound right, but it exists and it’s a good place to look for birds if you’re in Phoenix and don’t have much spare time. Right next to Phoenix Zoo and just off the North Galvin Parkway, the 30 acre Gardens enclose a beautiful patch of desert stuffed to the gills with various cacti and are contiguous with the much larger Papago Park - a similar area of desert which obviously contributes to the total number of birds present. They’re about a thirty minute drive east of Phoenix and easily reached - which has the drawback that if it’s easy to get to, you can be sure that it’ll be busy.

I am - as I’ve said many times on this site - a great fan of Botanic Gardens: they’re accessible, they’re generally safe (it stands to reason that plenty of visitors, plenty of staff and an entrance fee will dissuade most muggers!), and they’re generally bird-friendly (with healthy plants and a water-supply). I only spent a couple of hours here, but it was well worth it. The Gardens - as expected - are well-laid out with numerous themed trails (with displays about the original native Americans who once lived here), and easy to get around.

Many of the resident birds are fairly habituated to people - though the Gambell’s Quails running around the place weren’t quite habituated enough to stand in one place for very long - and it’s possible to quickly and easily get good views of some specialised desert birds like Cactus Wrens, Verdin, Gila Woodpecker and Gilded Flicker, Abert’s Towhee, White-winged Dove, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, and Curve-billed Thrasher.

Female Gilded Flicker Colaptes chrysoides

Verdin Auriparus flaviceps

Curve-billed Thrasher Toxostoma curvirostre

Though not especially relevant at this time of year, tucked away in one corner is a pond and a damp, marshy area surrounded by tall trees: apart from a breeding pair of Great Horned Owls I only saw a few Yellow-rumped Warblers flicking through the canopy, but during migration I’d imagine it must be quite a magnet for passerines.

Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus

In another corner of the Gardens is a small area of plants designed to attract hummingirds. This is apparently the best place locally to see Costa’s Hummingbird - but on this occasion a large group of (well-behaved if I’m honest) high-school kids were having a field-visit and the hummingbirds were mostly keeping their heads down…I only saw one or two Anna’s but that’s life if you go to a popular site, so I won’t complain!

Papago Park: Hole-in-the-Rock, a naturally eroded rock formation of religious significance to the American Indians who once lived here.

It’s very easy to walk straight out of the Gardens and into Papago Park. A recreational park consisting of spectacular red sandstone buttes, Papago Park has graced the city of Phoenix park system since 1959. From a birding point of view I’m not sure how useful it would be to spend time here - it’s highly disturbed and far more arid than the Gardens. However, it’s just a short walk across Papago to the entrance to Phoenix Zoo, and a series of public fishing ponds. These are absolutely buzzing with birds, and with hindsight I’d probaby have started here first before the camper vans and cars turned up and then crossed to the Gardens after a few hours. I didn’t see a great deal that I hadn’t already seen - though a few wintering American Wigeon and Ring-necked Ducks were new for the day - but there were a lot of birds and the potential for attracting migrants at the right time of the year was obvious.

Male and female American Wigeon Anas americana

One bird definitely worth mentioning - and the most “unusual” sighting I had here - was this partial-albino Cactus Wren drinking from a leaking tap near to the Zoo car-park. An odd mix of correctly coloured feathers and non-pigmented ones, this was a very striking bird: how it’s escaped the attentions of the local raptors is anyone’s guess!

Partial-albino Cactus Wren Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus

There are of course far better sites (with far scarcer birds) to visit if you’re on a long trip to Phoenix or Arizona, but if you’ve just a few hours spare and want to catch up with some of the local desert species then a visit to these three contiguous sites seems like a pretty good idea - remember to take some water though, it get’s hot!

The Desert Botanic Garden is open seven days a week, year round except for July 4 and December 25. For more information go to http://www.dbg.org/

Day “Highlights” List:
English and scientific names mainly from “The North American Bird Guide”, Sibley D, Pica Press, 2000:

American Wigeon Anas americana 10+; Gambel’s Quail Callipepla gambelii 10+; Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus 1; Anna’s Hummingbird Calypte anna 3-4; Gilded Flicker Colaptes chrysoides 3;
Gila Woodpecker Melanerpes uropygialis 4-5; Cactus Wren Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus 3-4; Curve-billed Thrasher Toxostoma curvirostre 3-4; Black-tailed Gnatcatcher Polioptila melanura 2; Bushtit Psaltriparus minimus) 3-4; Verdin Auriparus flaviceps 4-5; Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris 10+; White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica 10+; Common Raven Corvus corax ; Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata 4; Abert’s Towhee Pipilo aberti 1; House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus 10+; House Sparrow Passer domesticus 10+

All photographs © Charlie Moores.