Back in May, I spent a week out in Phoenix, Arizona visiting family. Since my wife and I have gotten really into birding the last couple of years, this was the perfect opportunity to add to our lifer list and also travel with my big lens setup (for those curious on finding a backpack that holds a Sony 200-600G + camera attached, I picked up an 18L Think Tank Mindshift Backlight and it worked great).
We went on two different birding outings, first at the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch in Gilbert and to the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix.
Among the new lifers we spotted at the botanical gardens were (and in order below): Verdin, Phainopepla, Gambel’s Quail – and its baby chick, Cactus Wren, Curve-Billed Thrasher, Gila Woodpecker, White Winged Dove and a family of Greater Roadrunners.
Sony A7IV, 200-600 G
New lifers
Not just birds
Sure, birding was our main goal, but it’d be weird to not post any photos of plants from a botanical garden, though I wish I took more. Also some lizard friends!
