The Whirling Dervish

It started as an innocent weekend up in Phoenix.  I'd visit my family during Comicon and then head north of Phoenix with friend and birder Gordon to the town of Pine for a little research on the northern most range of the Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher. That was the plan....

We had a great time watching everyone dress up for Comicon.  While enjoying the ambience, we kicked back a few Malibu and Cokes at the pool with my family.

Then it was time for sushi.  We had an amazing dinner.  During our visit, I had my phone off for much of the time.  Then I took my phone out......

Part of my family

"Code 5. Little Bunting reported at the Mexican border!"  It was the first Arizona record ever.  I hugged everyone good-bye and Gordon and myself were off the next day bright and early to hopefully spy this amazing Eurasian bird. How in the hell did it get down here?!?!

Sunday morning arrived bright and early.  We were at the border town of Douglas at a random hotspot called Slaughter Ranch Museum.  If you like US history, I think you should visit here.  I'm not sure what the story is behind the ranch, but it looked interesting. It's 5 bucks to get into the place. I know, I know.  I'm terrible.  But we're birders. We're all about the habitat and birds!  Slaughter Ranch did not disappoint.  Well, it did if you went to find the Little Bunting on Sunday.  It never showed. However, let's start at the beginning....of the line:)

You know it's serious business when you find a very long stretch of vehicles lined up to get into any museum. We arrived just as they were opening the gates. Anytime a mega rare bird shows up in Arizona, it's like a special holiday of friends and family getting together to celebrate a bird. This was to be the location of our church get-together.  So at the Church of Birds, some 50+ members arrived and flooded the property as they set up a perimeter around the pond.  Mass was about to begin!

Now I've heard some people call the Church of Birds a cult.  Maybe.  I mean it represents every type of human/bird hybrid personality out there like 1) The ducklings (they respond well to direction).  2) The mother ducks ("While I'm not the bird police, I  we need you to get out of this area and get in line behind me!").  3) The doves (they always wait for someone to feed find the birds for them).  4)The jays (they look pretty innocent, but they are always watching you and everyone else for an opportunity to mob when your guard is down; they like to hang around together in groups of 4 or 6) 5) The paired swans(independent married couples who float around wherever, oblivious to the ducks and ducklings and any other birds) And the waxwings(or the roamers). I'm definitely the nomadic bird.

The duck, duckling and dove hybrids all stay behind and concentrate their efforts on the Little Bunting.  The jays stay near the gang but continue their whispers watching the others move about them. Several of the waxwings realize there are too many birders hanging out in the area where the bird was foraging the day before.  So like the waxwings do, both Gordon and myself go where the food bird song is being heard.  We searched similar habitat that might have been attractive to the Little Bunting. 

All the while, we were observing some amazing birds. At one point, I just let the Little Bunting go and opened myself up to relax and bird.  We were going to do that anyway up in Pine. It was time to just have fun and observe the incredible amount of bird activity on this museum's property. And when we did, we discovered something more.......

Great Horned Owlet

The heat of the morning began to wear on me.  We needed water.  As we slowly made our way to the car, we noticed a different looking bird moving through the grasses. Birding in the Arizona sun is taxing.  In Wisconsin, when the weather is too cold, I snap a panorama of pictures of the ice sheets with gulls on them.  I stitch that panorama together later in the warmth of my house and ID the gulls from the comfort of my desk. So on this day, I did the same thing with the strange bird.  I was too tired to concentrate anymore. 

Barn Swallow

We eventually returned back to Tucson and I filed my reports, recordings and photos.  When I got to the files of the unusual bird and blew the picture up, I realized that we had something very special, a rare migrating Bobolink.  We both became very excited and I sent a couple photos to friends to verify the bird.  It was indeed a female Bobolink, the first record for that area ever.  I wanted to get the word out to other birders and immediately filed the photos and documentation into the rare bird alert.

 The Bobolink was a state bird for both myself and Gordon.  While we didn't spot that Code 5 Little Bunting, we had a blast exploring a new part of the state.  

And for our hard work, we were rewarded with a different rare bird.  Even better?  We were able to contribute new data for that area!  The countdown begins. I have some very exciting projects coming up in the next few weekends.  Stay tuned for more......

To Be Young Again

Verdin

Spring.  It's an unofficial holiday; a celebration and renewal of all things centered around life.  For many in the US, it's a happy time as the weather warms up and those dreary gray clouds disappear.  Then the green and colorful blooms begin! In Southern Arizona, we start a little early. Our true spring begins in March. In May, "spring" really feels like the start of summer.  However, nature still tells us that it's "spring" around here with all the little critters making a fuss. 

Brown-crested Flycatcher collecting food for the recently hatched young

We had cooler temps in the mornings this past week and I wanted to take advantage of them while I still could.  So I got the equipment ready to do some serious documentation on the nesting and breeding birds at several of our local parks. 

I'm always surprised by how quickly the young grow up.  I mean.....this can be said about any species! Even humans! My nephew is already going to be a sophomore. Where did the time go? How did my family get so old??!!!  The only conclusion I can come up with is that they live in Wisconsin.  I haven't aged a day here in Arizona:)  So you ask about the gray in my beard?  Well, that's easy. I spray painted that stuff into my hair to look wise and Gandalf-like so that my family wouldn't feel any different :)

Red Torch Cactus

You know what?  I hate teaching.  Or so I say:)  When it comes down to it, I love my kids. I hate the politics behind teaching....and also some of the bad parenting happening out there. #stopenabling  It was so very sad saying good-bye to my Seniors as they will leave for the military or college or.....nowhere in a few short weeks.  The free spirits told me that they just want to explore.  WOW!!  I remember those days.  Now I'm bogged down paying for health insurance, home repairs, protecting our environment, fighting that asshole of a man known as Trump and cleaning the kitty litter(I swear he's been crapping in the litter! I know he's been doing it to our country. For example, take his 3 AM tweets on the toilet) But back to being young. I still explore because it's in my blood.  So I tell my Seniors......explore.  Be safe.  And discover! 

Baby Mallards

In my life, I've had near misses myself.  They were scary.  Almost losing my sister on a Guatemala trip was something that to this day has scared the hell out of me. One year, a faithful Spanish student of mine went off to explore the world and was nearly killed when a motorcycle hit him head on.  I know it's not my fault, but I couldn't help but feel partly responsible for encouraging him with my words to explore the world. It took years of rehabilitation. Just a couple weeks ago, he graduated from college.  And I am so proud of him. And I'd still tell him the same thing.  Explore!  But be careful!

Female Gila Woodpecker feeding the young.  Look at that amazing Saguaro cavity!!!  That is amazing!

Youth.  Inexperience.  I wish I could telepathically share with them all my life experiences.  Be careful when dating.  Be careful settling for something that you are not ready for.  Don't take out too many student loans.  Stay away from those damn drugs. But have fun!  How do I pass that information on to the future generations? Were they listening to my lessons? Quite simply, I have to let them go.  They have to leave the nest at some point. It's something they have to EXPERIENCE on their own. 

A male Gila Woodpecker pokes his head out to see what's going on

Life is dangerous.  It's also beautiful.  As I listened to the young birds call for their parents, I worried for them.  Get away you Cooper's Hawk!! I watched our nesting Common Ravens get bullied by this bird.  One of the ravens actually whimpered.  Again, I wanted to tell the raven, HEY!  Wake up!!! You're bigger!  Kick that bully away from your nest!  Years ago, I realized I cannot change the world nor control the outcomes of others. So, it gave me a certain freedom knowing that it's my life that I need to take charge of.  It's not my responsibility to try and "fix" others. But I can hope that both Common Ravens will stand up to that nasty Coops:) Birds are like people; people are biological creatures.....and we are all connected.  Their story is our story. And vice versa. 

Northern Beardless Tyrannulet

I walked around more and heard our infamous Northern Beardless Tyrannulets.  Everyone comes to this park to see these tiny flycatchers. On this day, the parent Tyrannulets were training their young one to fly from branch to branch.  I stood a safe distance and watched as one parent flew under the shade of the mesquite calling "PIU PIU PIU!" Translation:  Ok.  Fly here. The little one would respond with not quite the same call and fly to the branch.  The parent would then reward the little one with food. And over and over they did this in the hopes that one day, this little Tyrannulet will one day fly off and live its own little life. 

I watched a Bell's Vireo collect nesting material.  I asked myself, Is this the second clutch?  OR Did the first nest fail?  In the mind of a bird, a failure means try again.  Move on.  And do it again.  There's a message in there somewhere. 

As I walked out my classroom door, another Senior stopped and told me that he was thinking about taking a bird watching class at his university.  I had a huge smile on my face and told him that this made me very happy. While my objective is always teaching the Spanish language, I also try to connect my lessons through life experiences.  In the background, I'll have a bird on my SMART board.  When I disappear for that one day at school, my students know that I'm not sick but instead chasing a rare bird:) And it's my obligation to show them my results the day after:)

Arizona Bell's Vireo collecting nest material

I have one more week of school to go.  The forecast will be in the 100's again.  So I called my a/c guy to check our unit because I HATE the heat and want to prevent disaster from happening!  I climbed up on my roof and sat with him as he went over each of the specs. I thought to myself, Why don't I live up here?  It's beautiful!  Anyhow, everything looked good to go.  If there's one thing that stresses me out, it's the fear that our a/c unit will die in the middle of summer.  I have a secondary unit back up but still.....

So I'm ready for summer.  I've said my good-byes. And now it's time to move forward because life doesn't wait for any of us.  I've been stuck at 759 lifebirds for too long! If I remember correctly, there are over 10,000 bird species out there that are waiting for me to find!  And you know what that means.......

The many owls I've seen this year! Most shared with people I love.  Thank you all for your friendship. 

An adventure is waiting to happen.  Here are my reports from this past week.  For people coming to Tucson, you'll find these areas easy to access.  Go early before the heat. Birds are active from 6 AM to about 10 AM.  And don't forget to bring water!

1. Reid Park
2. Lakeside Park
3. Agua Caliente Park

Until next time........

My Nomadic Inclinations

Arizona Gray Squirrel

As I hold in a pattern of wait before our next grand adventure, I hang out in my little cubby hole like the Arizona Gray Squirrel above.  

Black-headed Grosbeak

A lot of planning and work is going into the Las Aventuras summer and fall adventures.  Another exciting trek is also getting mapped out into a remote area of the world that many do not explore. There will be birds, culture, tequila and laughter. I look forward to that photo shoot. But for now....

Wild Turkey

Life is short.  One day you're a lizard eating an ant.  The next, you're food for a Mountain Pygmy Owl. 

Mountain Pygmy Owl

As I'm planning and budgeting the money, I'm keeping my birding local.  After all, this is Arizona birding.  There are so many opportunities to witness some of the world's most amazing birds close to home.  So in short, to keep the costs down, I've been birding locally. 

It's rather fun.  My challenge?  To keep my birding skills sharp as a knife.  But the other challenge?  To capture something truly amazing in that one moment.  It's one thing to take a pic of a bird; it's another to capture it doing something interesting. 

Verdin

So what was this weekend's challenge?  Well, it wasn't as exciting as last BUT it was still fun.  Near the White Citadel(San Xavier Del Bac), our group received word of an uncommon Black-bellied Whistling Duck in a mysterious watering hole.  That piqued my interest.  So I headed towards the mines of Moria and the White Citadel near the edges of my Old Pueblo.  And sure enough.....there was water in a great hole in the ground. 

The bird life was incredible.  How long have I lived here and never known about this obscure place?  Well, it's on my radar now.  Mission accomplished....in both senses of the word "mission":)  As I fine tune my Pima County birding, I'm also getting a sense that the regular Pima County birders are doing the same.  We have spread a net over our area and I'm liking the team work going on.  Before it was 2 or 3 birders finding rarities.  Now, it's more like 10 or 12 excellent birders covering the area.  

And quickly from the Tucson garden.  Ever notice white fuzzy spots on your Prickly Pear Cactus?  If the answer is yes, you're hosting the cochineal bug, a scale insect.  While watering my garden this weekend, I noticed that the scale had gotten out of control.

So I took the hose and washed off my cactus pads.  People have asked me if the scale is bad for their cactus.  Most years, it doesn't present a problem but for some reason, this year it has been bad.  We had a wet winter but it was followed by a super hot and dry spring....which allowed for the scale to grow! And it was doing damage.  So I took the hose to it. 

Cochineal Bug...notice the yellow coloring.  Not good.

As the scale washed off, it looked like blood pooling up around the base of the plant. The Cochineal bug plays an important role here in the Old Pueblo.  The native people use this bug to dye their clothes.  Historically, it was also important in the world trade market.  Today, this carmine dye is used primarily as a food colorant.

Last but not least.  Warblers.  This year has been a sensational year for so many warblers in the state of Arizona.  The year isn't over but look who has come to visit over the past several months.  Las Aventuras will continue the search this summer.

Until next time.....

Seek And You Shall Find

Brian searches for the distant Common Crane

Talk about a spontaneous and fun weekend!!  A Common Crane (rare to the US) was spotted at Mormon Lake near Flagstaff, AZ.  Every birder,both in and out of the state, came to view this rare Eurasian migrant.  A scope was needed to spot this bird.

A little help with a scope.

Now, I've seen this bird twice.  Once in Europe and the other time in Roswell, New Mexico.  But I needed it for a state bird.  Anytime a new bird arrives into Arizona (and I don't have it on my state list), I go chase it.
.

Common Crane

It's a pretty amazing crane as far as cranes go.  Once we spotted the bird, we had to make a decision.  Bird Flagstaff or bird Oak Creek Canyon. 

West Fork Campground at Oak Creek Canyon/Haddie, the dog, takes Magill for a walk

We made a great decision and decided to explore the incredibly beautiful Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona.  This place was FULL of our Western Warblers!

Red-winged Blackbird

Along the way we counted birds in the often chilly and shaded canyon.

In fact, this week has been an amazing one in that the weather has been COLD!  We had rain and overcast skies allowing us to enjoy our birding treks.  It has been unbearably hot this spring with one May day reaching 106 degrees!  Way too early for those temps. 

Jon heads near an area searching for rarities

During the week, I noticed something happening everywhere.  Warbler fallout.  It was a visible sign that a storm was soon arriving to our state. And it was moving from the Gulf of Mexico!  So we kept our eyes out for eastern rarities and migrants......

The brilliant colors of a Brewer's Blackbird in full sun

Back in the desert, little birds were beginning to leave their nests. 

Juvenile Black-tailed Gnatcatcher

It's easy to fall in love with the little fledglings as they learn how to become adult birds.  BUT, I have to be aware of the dangers around me.

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

I nearly messed myself when I saw this rattlesnake.  I like reptiles but snakes make my skin crawl.  Why was this snake hiding?

It was eyeing up these young Round-tailed Ground Squirrels nearby.  Meanwhile, the warblers began to grab my attention.  They were EVERYWHERE!  Every bush and every tree were full of them.  Normally they are difficult to spot but not this week!

Wilson's Warbler

Then it happened.  The second state bird arrived the following day after our Common Crane spot.  It was the rare and beautiful Blackpoll Warbler. 

Blackpoll Warbler

I stood for a couple hours trying to get these pictures of this very rare migrant.  This male is heading up to Alaska to breed but for some reason, he chose Tucson's Sweetwater Wetlands for a stop.

He stayed for several days and made several birders very happy.

After observing this bird for quite awhile, I packed up my gear and felt really happy. In fact I glowed for the next several days afterwards.  It's almost impossible to get two new state birds in one weekend anymore.  So it was a very satisfying weekend:)

Life is amazing.  And it's only getting better.  Until next time.....