A Stationary Front

A Gila Woodpecker at my feeder

I wake up and follow my daily routine.  I have money, but I don't have the proper amount of time.  Or I have the time but not the money.  Can't both coincide at the same time?:) The movement I had gained this year has stalled, at least for now. I imagine this isn't unique to just my situation but for anyone trying to accomplish a personal goal. 

A Harris's Hawk hangs out in the middle of the afternoon on the Santa Cruz Flats

Instead of chasing birds in far away locales, we stayed close to home and visited several places nearby.  The temps here in Tucson are still hot so we did quite a bit of birding from the car. We went to the Santa Cruz Flats and explored this 20+ mile area for raptors and possible Mountain Plovers.  Micheal had never seen a Crested Caracara(or a Mountain Plover) before so I took him to the ag fields where they are commonly seen. We didn't have to wait long before we found a Crested Caracara flying near a tractor. It's a bit early for the Mountain Plovers so I'll check again next month. 

A Western Grebe is one of MANY water birds found in the artificial lake of Arizona City

The winter birds are beginning to arrive.  Birders flock to all the watering holes to find something rare.  Waterfowl and hawks begin to show up in greater numbers.  The Harris's Hawks hang out longer on the telephone poles now that the temps are cooling down. 

Rock Pigeons hang out at Ft. Lowell Park waiting for the people to make a mess

I have a hard time staying inside the house, but I had no desire to drive a couple hours in any one direction.  Currently, I need to find a handful of birds within the state.  One is the Mexican Chickadee.  It's a great little bird found in the Chiricahuas.  However, I'm thinking I'd like to spend a night at one of their great B & B's for some relaxing birding over a weekend. 

A White-crowned Sparrow peers at me through a bush at Sweetwater Wetlands

Other birds include the Bell's Sparrow, Rough-legged Hawk and Tundra Swan.  Over the course of the weekend, I ran errands and did some investigaton on a Southern California birding run I have planned for in December. 

Cooper's Hawk

For now, I'm just going to relax and bird. A note for my Tucson readers and snowbirder friends.  I went to Sweetwater Wetlands this weekend and did some reading up on the recent crime wave that has happened there.  Apparently, three cars were broken into over a 3 day period. In fact, the last two times I've been there, I witnessed a loose dog in the reeds and yet another car break-in. The family was in hysterics and so we had to call 911. I won't go into the details but regardless, some may tell you it's no big deal.  I don't know about you, but it is to me!  I'd like to apply money towards another trek and not towards a new car window:) 

A European Starling dazzles at Reid Park

Here's my recommendation if there aren't any cars in the parking lot at Sweetwater.  Park on the opposite side along Commerce Dr. where the businesses are located.  There are plenty of parking spaces with other cars present.  Enter the Wetlands from along the bike path along the wash.  You'll be able to see the recharge basins better anyway.  There are still lots of amazing birds and the area looks great.  Just be aware that they've been having theft issues. Sunday afternoon I was there alone and it felt weird not having others around me birding. 

A Canada Goose follows us around from our recent trip to Colorado Springs

Right now, I feel like these geese meandering....not sure which way I'll go.  But somehow I'll get there:) 

For more from around the world check out Wild Bird Wednesday.
 Also check out another one of Tommy D's hilarious Birding Stereotype videos about people who are just into ONE type of bird...in this case, hawks.  The Santa Cruz Flats are well known for some of the best wild raptor shows in Southern Arizona during our winter months. 

Withdrawal Symptoms

A Mallard approaches us

Have you ever closed the curtains to your windows so that you could just keep the outside world out?  Lately, I have been unmotivated and tired.  But I made a promise to myself at the beginning of the year that I would work on my US list.  My only goal?  To stay within the top 100 in the national scheme of things.  So far so good.  

I'm tired of the chasing.  I'm tired of the ebird reports and most of all just feeling a bit confined for the moment. The home requires a little TLC and I'm working on several projects right now that will add a little spark to our place.  

Black-capped Chickadee at one of the hotspots I created for Ebird in Colorado Springs.....Quail Lake

So I understand that there are birds out there that need to be seen for the year but their locations are rather uninspiring. What does that mean?  Well, there are cool birds that can be found in trashy locales full of sketchy people or hot desert scrub in the middle of nowhere. I'm much more inclined to sit in my pajamas with a cup of coffee during the weekend and read a good book. 

Bucks hidden in a secret canyon outside of Colorado Springs during hunting season

Granted there are always birds that amaze me....even the common ones.  But after a year of chasing (and this last road trip to Colorado), I'm about ready to hang up my birding vest and cap.  Next year I'll be stepping back from the birding scene and just focusing on new life birds.

American Avocets in Bosque Del Apache, New Mexico last week

For now, I've made the New Year's Resolution "find and re-find as many new and old birds as I can" a reality.  It's not as easy as it sounds.  Family, weather, money, work and home have interfered with my focus at times.  Time is everything. 

People will ask me, "What has been the most challenging part about this birding trek?"  Time and money are a challenge especially when there is a full-time job to consider. I've only hit half the necessary hot spots in the US to stay in the top 100. With more money and "free" time, I could plot and strategize better. Another challenge?  Locating grouse!  They are some of the most difficult birds to locate.  Some of the grouse that have eluded me so far this year have been the Dusky, Spruce and Gunnison sage-grouse!  They are VERY difficult.  It took me two years to discover the secretive nature of this Montezuma Quail below!  Hearing the bird is one thing but to watch it watch me only inches away was quite a learning experience.  The bird was completely camouflaged by the grasses and for me it was one of the hardest things I've had to do as a birder this year!

Montezuma Quail

BUT! The Montezuma Quail live here so I've been able to constantly go back and study their habitat. This has allowed me to get a better idea about how they interact with their environment.  But the other grouse?  Not common here in Southern Arizona and when I'm in their territory, their environment and habits are completely alien to me. Rails also fall into the same category.  There are several in December that I hope to locate.  Sometimes finding mammals are easier than spotting birds!  And let me tell you, if I were a hunter, I would have done very well this last week. Thankfully I use a camera to shoot.  Then I whisper to the deer, "Stay safe."

So as I slow down, for now, I am learning to just enjoy the simple things and pull back from my personal challenge of "finding all the birds".   I have one last big trek for the year scheduled into California.  For the time being, I'm drawing my shades and just relaxing a bit before going back on the road again.  I'm not going to let the competitive birding out there drive me insane:)  Maybe it's too late for that?

Sparrow love-Brewer's Sparrow.  Yeah it's brown and plain but.......what a cool bird!

Currently for the year, I've seen and documented 450 species of birds. I'm not done:) Last year, I observed 452 species.  While out on the road this year, we had a little fun on our treks around Arizona.  The mastermind, Tommy D, loves putting together birding videos while on his Arizonan treks.  In this state, a birder can go from extreme heat to snow within a half hour!  Sometimes we desert rats forget to prepare for the colder terrain while on that chase for a rare bird.  Here is one of my favorites he filmed while looking for a super rare bird in the north country!  Check out Tommy D's Birding Stereotypes.  Arizona truly is an awesome place to bird.  Where will we be next weekend?  Stay tuned for more from Las Aventuras. 

Don't forget to check out Wild Bird Wednesday!

Paint The Wind

As the year begins to wind down, we head into the heart of autumn.  Today we take you to the southwestern regions of Colorado state to search for the beautiful Black-billed Magpie. 

Earlier this year, we, the band of birders, tried to find this bird in the 4 Corners region within the reservation town of Teec Nos Pos.  Unfortunately, we were unable to locate the birds, but on this epic road trip, we finally discovered at least one hanging out around the town. 

Spotted Towhee

Once we quickly located the bird(8 minutes!), we were off to Gunnison, Colorado for one of the most scenic autumn treks ever. Highway 50 right now is gorgeous!

The weather went from sun to rain to snow! What is a journey without a little adventure? 

Along the way, we stopped at watering holes and snapped pics of not only the birds but the amazing fall colors.  The brightly colored leaves swirled all around us as we inspected each site for that rare bird.

Mountain Bluebird

When life gets a bit....well....crazy, a road trip always seems to do the trick:)

Most of the birds in Colorado have already been seen this year in various parts of the country.  We were hoping to spot the endangered Gunnison's sage-grouse, but the weather had other plans.  However the addition of the Black-billed Magpie to the year list was great. 

Black-billed Magpie

Hunting season has begun and the hunters were out in FULL force.  The deer, pronghorn and elk kept their distances. While high up on a sage hillside, we noticed dark clouds approaching us. 

We were unsuccessful in our attempts to locate this grouse, but I now have a better understanding of their habitat.  However, having past experiences with a storm like the one approaching made us depart earlier than expected.

With our elevation and cold temps, I knew we weren't looking at rain in the forecast...... 

We high tailed it off the dirt roads before they became impassable and turned into mud and ice.  

The surreal autumn colors were blanketed by frost. There were several moments in whiteout conditions that had me at the edge of my seat. Winter had come.

We made it down the mountain and thankfully had an uneventful trip to Colorado Springs.  

Black-billed Magpie

Magpies still made their presence known and we really had fun observing these beauties.  They were very numerous and in most of my ebird reports while in Colorado. 

Our journey continues.  Check out the video below made from my cell phone over this past year.  It shows a bit of the Hwy 50 magic. 

Update on the owl from last week's post.  The bird is doing well and healing. It had a fractured humerus(the bone that attaches the wing to the body).  The appetite has come back and things are looking up. For more about birds from around the world, check out Wild Bird Wednesday. 

Discover Gila County!

Parker Creek in the Sierra Ancha Mountains

Exploration.  Study. And new Arizonan ground to cover.  This weekend, I attended an AZFO conference in a very unexplored area of Arizona.....Gila County! 

Brown Trout are found in a stream fed pool

Mountains, like the Pinals(specifically Pinal Peak), had some of the best birding.  Here we were able to observe Band-tailed Pigeons(difficult to get pictures of!), Cassin's Finches, a Lewis's Woodpecker, Sage Thrasher, and a strange covey of Gambel's Quail!

The camera shy Band-tailed Pigeon finally poses on Pinal Peak

While attending the conference in Miami, Arizona, birders from around the state and country had the opportunity to meet each other.  Lectures included Gray Hawk diet and expansion, the differences between the fairly new Sagebrush and Bell's Sparrow split, the Desert Purple Martin, global warming and warbler migration, etc.

White-tailed Deer watch us through the branches as Gordon and I search for elusive birds

While I didn't find any new birds for the year (or life birds), I did gain A LOT of information about the birds found around the state of Arizona.  Our visits marked new areas for ebirders in the state.  Bird populations around Gila County are relatively unknown.  While ornithologists know what birds can be found in the area, there isn't much birding data entered for this Arizona county.  So we explored the rough roads and along the way we discovered wonderful flora and fauna.

Jones Water Campground

On this trek, I went with my birding bud and friend Gordon Karre.  I really appreciate the times we get to bird together as they are few and far between.  Each birder has a mission.  Our mission this weekend wasn't necessarily finding new birds but exploring new and unknown areas.

Empress Leila butterfly

The conference was rather large this year which suggests that this birding addiction is catching on.  There were birders of all ages and that was encouraging!

Ground Beetle-Pasimachus  A special thank you to Doug Taron for helping me ID my bugs better

The participants also came from a wide variety of backgrounds ranging from photographers and artists to professors and wildlife specialists.  So on our outings, we had lots of knowledgeable people who knew their plants, bugs, lizards, birds and what to do when a sick bird was found like this Great Horned Owl below.  

The team came together and secured the owl for transportation. 

If you live around the Phoenix area and find an injured bird or animal, contact Liberty Wildlife at 480-998-5550.  

Check out the talons on this GHOW!

I'm hoping this bird makes a full recovery.  So send out your positive thoughts and well wishes for this poor owl.

Photography was "meh" when it came to the birds this weekend:)  I put together this collage highlighting several of our interesting finds.  From top to bottom and left to right.  
Band-tailed Pigeon, playful Common Ravens
Red-naped Sapsucker, Brewer's Blackbird, Brown Creeper
Turkey Vulture, male Cassin's Finch 

Alligator Lizard

I'll be back on the road again next week searching for new North American year and life birds.  Birding is a science.  It's an art.  It requires quite a bit of dedication.  It can be social. But most of all, birding for me is something quite special. I never take any of my treks for granted. Every moment matters. Many of our common birds face an uphill battle in the years to come.  Extinction will continue as our carbon emissions rise and the world's human population explodes across the globe.  Humans are using up water resources and spreading over land that is utilized by our planet's wildlife. Compound that with poisons used in agricultural fields and traffic deaths for low flying birds/crossing mammals and it doesn't paint a pretty picture. Many of these critters are getting "squeezed" out of their habitats by us.

The artist Narca Moore-Craig gets up close and personal with her amazing discovery of the Alligator Lizard

My mission will be to continue my studies with organizations like Audubon, Ebird and AZFO(Arizona Field Ornithologists).  We live in a very complicated world.  With opportunities like the ones presented this past weekend, we can help explore these "new" wild areas and contribute our knowledge for the better protection and conservation of these areas.

Gila Country offers wonderful vistas and lots of great Arizona wildlife viewing!

 For more about birds from around the world, check out Wild Bird Wednesday. 

An agave stalk

Below is an overview of the Workman Creek Falls in the Sierra Ancha mountains.   Our trek into Gila County was fantastic!