The Cherry on Top

Sometimes, it's not about finding a new bird. Sometimes it's about something more.

    It's not about the elegant Ibis.

 Or the tattered gull........

 Or the scenic views.....

Or the millions of Sandpipers which included Bairds, Semipalmated, Stilt, Least and Westerns!

    Yes, it was ID hell:)  But worth the effort.......but it wasn't about that either......

Or the Dowitchers......

Not even the Curlews......

Or the plovers......

But this one was cool:)  Here's a closer shot.  Different bird but still a Semipalmated Plover. 

Or even A RARE(for the area) Common Nighthawk.......!  That was a WOW moment for both Kathie and myself.

It was about this turtle that crossed the road.  The world sped by not really noticing how special this gal was.  Teenagers and other drivers carelessly drive around Lake Cochise, Willcox to drink their beer or just ride their trucks and dirt bikes. This little turtle was in the middle of the road.  Kathie stopped the car and I got out to make sure she wouldn't get run over.  I left when I knew she was safe.  I told another driver about the turtle and she seemed to shrug this turtle off for she was there to film the Wilson's Phalaropes. Everyone went on their merry way.  I went home and looked up the turtle more.

The Ornate Box Turtle is near threatened(more so in Arizona) and one of the most difficult turtles to find out in the wild.  Much like the Montezuma Quail, Elegant Trogons or Flammulated Owls, you have to be in the right place at the right time to see them.  I'm no reptile expert so I couldn't truly appreciate the experience.  If you live in Arizona and find this turtle, please go to this website here and help the folks out. There are paper reports you can fill out, but I just emailed the sightings with these pics answering the paper form questions.  They'll document the rest.  I was asked if there had been rain the night before and the location of the turtle. Other questions were "What was the turtle observed doing?" and "What was the weather like?" One thing to note (and I found this extremely important to share)....  NEVER pick a turtle up!  One. They have bacteria that can be harmful to humans.  And two(most important).  If a turtle is picked up, it will many times urinate or rid itself of liquid which will many times dehydrate the turtle. Finally, never bring these turtles home as it is against the law. We have such an easy way to count birds instantly but as for everything else, it's still a little old fashioned.  The data is important to scientists and other herpers(the reptile people)

A special "thank you" goes out to my FB friend Tonia for alerting me about this rare find and leading me through the proper channels for documentation. As Kathie puts it, the birds are what we do, but everything else is like the cherry on top.  She thought our Great Horned Owl find was the cherry on top.  Is there a limit on how many cherries one can have?

As you can see, this summer has been full of wonderful herpe surprises. This is just a small group of all the lizards, snakes, frogs, toads and turtles.I've seen on the trail.  More exciting reports coming up......