September 23, 2021
Located about forty miles west of Gila Bend just off of I-8, in the absolute middle of nowhere, sits Spot Road Farm. It has a very good list of birds as it includes acres of alfalfa and associated irrigation – long narrow shallow ponds which attract peeps including Baird’s, Least, Red-necked Phalarope, both Yellowlegs, Pectoral, Spotted and more. Yesterday an American Golden Plover was found by Brian Johnson. Also found was a Red Knot.
The plover was a bird that I wanted to see. I wasn’t even slightly interested in red knots not in breeding plumes.
I ventured out this morning just after Chris McCreedy reported that the plover was present. This is a 182 mile drive. I arrived at 9:30 and met Carol Hippelmeyer at the most northerly pond. It had numerous peeps and some drab shovelers and teal hens. We could not find the plover.
We ran into Cathy Beck, who had been there since 7 a.m., and had not found the plover either. After poking around in the growing heat, I was getting ready to make my exit when my phone rang …. Cathy had the plover just beyond where I was parked. I carefully worked my way along a dirt service road adjacent to the alfalfa field where the plover was foraging. Its was only a few feet off of the service road with several Killdeer. The drab Red Knot was not seen.
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