Monday, February 24, 2020

Solitude In A World Of Chaos

This female Bobcat joined me in m my hike with her offspring behind. 
So much noise everywhere.  Have you ever tried to find a place where there wasn't any noise?  No construction.  No planes flying overhead.  No children screaming in the background. No TV or radio. NO TRAFFIC!  Just silence? 

A surprise Cassin's Vireo
Over the past couple weeks, I tried finding those spaces.  It was difficult.  But on one particular walk, I had a whole wetlands to myself. Free of human noise. Finally. I touched the bark of the willow and listened to the Marsh Wren rattle off his morse code to another bird in the reeds. A Song Sparrow shouted out his melodious sing song to a curious female. The signs of spring are upon us again. I stop to absorb everything around me.  Not just the birds. 

A Red-tailed Hawk takes flight at sunset

It's the birds I know best, but I had an amazing experience that made me geek out on the trails. 


Cats! As I crossed a path, I discovered a Bobcat doing what cats do best....cleaning herself. What I didn't know was that there were two of them!  Her offspring came out from behind a bush near me!


Like the deer with Celeste several weeks ago, or the Greater Roadrunner, or the Javelina, here I was again joined on the trails by one of Mother Nature's coolest feline species, the Bobcat.  I wasn't frightened.  They were close and moved towards me.  There wasn't any malintent.  One of the bobcats was talking to me like my cats do when I'm home.  It made me laugh. I understand "cat" well.  One time many many years ago, back in the 90's, I stumbled upon a Mountain Lion in the alley while I was taking the trash out in the early morning. Again, I laughed and said in a nervous voice, "Hello kitty." I then proceeded to slowly walk back inside the house never leaving my eyes off that huge cat.  Her body language wasn't threatening, but she was wild and it's better to be safe than sorry:)


I was like a giddy kid in a toy store.  It was the best way to start my Saturday!  Body language is everything in the animal world.  And there is a thing about getting too close to a wild animal.  The cats strolled along the path with me for about 20 minutes before they went off to take a nap.  Amazing!

Black-chinned Sparrow almost completes my sparrow set for the year in Pima County
It's those moments that center me.  They are intoxicating addictions and one of the reasons why I love my mornings!  It's the discovery.  The connections to nature.  And my happy place. 

Dark-eyed Junco
Next, I went to Mt. Lemmon.  The mountain was FULL of tourists. So when that happens, I usually go to the trails along the mountain. Most tourists never see the real beauty of this mountain because they're so focused on buying a cookie at the top of a mountain!  Anyway, a hiker walked past me and said there weren't any birds in the forest and that it was quiet.  Had she not been conversing with her friend, she might have heard their little chips.  They were all there.  I pished further up the trail and woke up the little birds.  Suddenly we were surrounded by kinglets, chickadees, and all three species of our Arizona nuthatches!  And in a first for that location(for me), 2 turkeys popped out of the forest to see what was going on.  My owls were still there.  And all was good.  Just doing my yearly check up.  

Mexican Jay
Mexican Jays surrounded us and casually foraged around the trail.  


This life is not easy.  It certainly seemed easier when I was younger, but as I age, the weight of the world seems to get heavier.  On Friday night, the day before my birding, I set a trap to catch drug dealers on our property. Living in midtown is wonderful, but it also comes with a few negatives. No one messes with my sanctuary.  I alerted my neighbors and called the police ahead of time knowing that it takes them forever to arrive at the scene.  And on that same Friday night, those drug dealers were shoe'd off the property for good:)  Nature walk was back on again for Saturday morning.

Sunset with our local Snow Goose

And then the worst news of all. I found out a former student had taken his life.  I couldn't attend the service, but I found out he was buried in a cemetery where I bird. After work, I went to the freshly dug site and sat on the bench.  There were birds. So many Vermilion Flycatchers around. I try to make sense of it all. That cemetery never had a personal connection for me. Now, I'll never look at it the same way. He better be ready for birds visiting his grave.  There were several empty bird feeders hanging there in a tree.  So now every time I go, I'll be bringing bird seed to place at his site. I've worked with thousands of students over the years.  When something like this happens to one of them, it's like I somehow failed them.  And I know deep down I can't save all of them.  It's just hard remembering their happy faces in class knowing that their adventures ended way too early.   


Working with the public takes its toll on a person. I wouldn't have it any other way except maybe be outside more:)  In my late thirties, I discovered the world of birding.  Almost 10 years later, my understanding of the natural world gets stronger.  In times of stress or loss, I am thankful it's there away from all the chaos.  And in that solitude I am reborn.

Our cat, Aurora, is in decline health wise.  There's nothing we can do except make her comfortable and happy.  She is 15 years old and I believe has a cancer that's slowly taking its time.  She can still jump and she can still eat.  So we give her all the extra love while we still can. 
Until next time.....

8 comments:

  1. Dear Chris, I'm so sorry to hear of Aurora's illness, and know just how hard such times can be. We lost our last cat nearly six years ago, and I still shed a tear for his memory from time to time. My thoughts are with you. So sorry too to hear of the loss of one of your past students. Please don't worry that you might have failed him in any way - I'm sure that that is not the case.

    Life does have its up and downs, as you have shown here with your
    Bobcat encounter. That must have been one of life's most memorable and delightful experiences! - and you captured it expertly with your lens too.

    My very best wishes to you, Micheal, and Aurora - - - Richard

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. There are so many wonderful things happening. And then at the same time, there are things that keep me grounded like suicide or sickness. They say that the 40's are wonderful but that it also comes with a taste of mortality. I ignored that for so long until the people or animals around me are starting to enter that stage of life. Our bodies go through changes too! It's amazing. I write these things down so that I don't forget these things ever. Thank you for the well wishes. Our Aurora is getting a lot of attention right now. Extra feedings, etc. Although she gets hungry often and likes to wake me up at 4 in the morning now for a feed. Whatever it takes to make her comfortable. In human years, she's 76 year old. In cat years, she is 15. She's had a good life. We rescued her when she was young. Our furry family members are so loving and trusting. The general public could learn a thing or two from them! Happy week and weekend ahead!

      Delete
  2. Nice photos, love seeing different birds.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Once mostly healed I searched for a quiet place and found more healing apricity in the Sonoran desert. My new made up word: deserquies, silence only found in the desert. At least no human noise. The cat is a most special experience, yet I am not totally surprised she felt comfortable with you. I hope your home environment can now be more peaceful and feeding the birds at the cemetery give you peace.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What wonderful rewards for your walk! I love all the different creatures you encountered.
    I hope you have lots of time left with Aurora. We sent our oldest cat to the kitty park in the sky last week. He had a good life, the last years he was with us, but he certainly will be missed.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow - I would love to see any of the big (or bigger!) cats in the wild - no such luck so far, and I live on the wrong continent as well! Oh well.

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for linking up at 'My Corner of the World' this week!

    My Corner of the World

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by!