Arizona - California Trip ~ October 2, 2014

My plan was to try for a few 'life' birds in Arizona and take a pelagic trip out of San Diego, California. I flew from Philadelphia to Phoenix, arriving mid-morning, and drove the short distance to Encanto Park in Phoenix. There, I found several Rosy-faced Lovebirds, my first target species, near the top of a palm tree.

A Northern 'Red-shafted' Flicker worked another palm tree nearby.

I was planning on driving to Bill Williams National Wildlife Refuge to try once again for the Nutting's Flycatcher, but the bird had not been recently seen in the accessible area for months and the road to the spot was reportedly in bad shape from the record-setting heavy rains that had fallen a week before. So, I decided to drive directly over to San Diego, getting there just before dusk. I would spend the next three nights at the Dolphin Motel in Point Loma.

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