Yesteryear

the magical DeAnza Trail near Tubac

I took one step at a time along the path traveled by so many people before me.  During this past weekend, I quietly did my own thing as I explored places in southern Arizona like the DeAnza Trail, San Xavier Del Bac, and Saguaro National Park(the Rincon Unit). On Sunday, we finished it off with the Arizona Renaissance Festival. 

My morning began on the DeAnza trail near the artsy town of Tubac. Part of this two century +  trail follows the Santa Cruz river. Here the water flows under the shaded canopy of Arizona Cottonwoods and Mesquite trees. I saw several birders trying to find the Sinaloa Wren on that morning.  As I passed them, I wished the birders luck. 

Abert's Towhee

It was a beautiful hike on this cloudy morning. My next stop was the old mission of San Xavier Del Bac.  I wanted to stop here and explore several patches of Cholla cactus found around the property.

Cholla Cactus

The vegetation was all there as were my target birds.....the Cactus Wrens and Curve-billed Thrashers!  I did my counts around several patches and then tried for some photo documentation. 

the mission of San Xavier Del Bac

At one point, I had a Cactus Wren calling out from the top of a tree.  I stood for 20 minutes just watching this bird along the grassy wash.

Cactus Wren

The weather is beginning to warm up and that means lizards and snakes are awakening.  Look closely at the photo below and you will find the Desert Spiny hanging out between the rocks!

Desert Spiny Lizard next to a Barrel Cactus 

After I did my walk and counts around the Mission, I headed off to Saguaro National Park to do more desert bird counts.  Thanks to my park ranger bud Gaelyn, I was reminded that the entrance fee to the National Parks was waived for the weekend.  It was an amazing way to end the day as I found my first ever Gila Monster!  What a thrill that was!

my herpes lifer, the Gila Monster!

On Sunday, we headed out to Arizona's Renaissance Festival near Gold Canyon where I was able to study raptor behavior during one of their shows.  Even when I'm not birding, I'm birding:)  I love them so much. 

the Eurasian Eagle-owl takes flight at the 2015 Arizona Renaissance Festival

Of course, we also had a great time watching several of the performances throughout the day.

Barely Balanced performs one of their body bending acts!  Ouch!

It was the restful weekend that I very much needed.  After last weekend's "wait for a warbler" journey, I was done chasing rare birds.  And to be honest, the birding I did this weekend is what I like best sometimes.

Some weekends are for strolling, some are for epic adventures and some are for study.  Next weekend, I'll take you into the heart of Phoenix as we look for love in strange places;) And below is a teaser for what Las Aventuras is planning this summer:) "Americano" begins! For now, I hope you all enjoyed this walk back in time.  Until next time friends.

San Pedro House

This winter, I have been walking in the footsteps of birders....tracing down their haunts and discovering what brings thousands of birders to the state of Arizona every year.  And I think I'm underestimating the number "thousands" here.  I have grown to really appreciate the kindness of these people on my own journey.  "Thank you" for educating a naive person in the way of noticing the "little" things in life.  Because I have grown as a person this past year by taking a closer look at nature.  These birding trips have also allowed me to develop a better "bird garden" at El Presidio. And the results are showing!  Today I take you to the quiet little home next to the San Pedro River.

We drove down to the San Pedro Riparian Corridor to find the Great Blue Heron, but we'd also find a lot of other birds out there.  At first, it appears you are driving through fields of grass and more grass.  You search for trees, but there aren't any around....for miles.  Until you see the line of Cottonwood-Willow trees.....

The people were super friendly and as we drove into the gravel driveway, we noticed a lot of colorful birds right away.  We went into this volunteer based organization and got the map.  On that day, a Short Ear Owl was spotted.  Thanks to a chart outside of the office, we were able to check out what other birders had seen recently.  I knew I would find the Great Blue Heron....or was relatively sure of it. I summoned King Tuzigoot for this trip.  He asked me what I was searching for....I said, owls and a heron.  He asked me what a Heron was and I then proceeded to describe this bird to him.....(and I added, "You can't miss it.") The King then muttered something under his breathe and I asked him to repeat but he just waved me on......so I handed over my camera to keep him happy.  He then took a picture of this dog and I reclaimed the camera. Not a Heron.

It was warm and we had water.  But we couldn't help but notice all the birds flying around the brush and grasses on the way to the river. There were a lot of Sparrows, Towhees, Pyrrhuloxias, and oh so much more....just no owls.

But we spotted several birds to add to the "list" and it was exciting to watch them do their thing. The loop trail is about 2 miles long over easy terrain.  Only the upper trails are wheelchair accessible on this public land.  There are over 82 species of mammals and 350 species of birds!!  The San Pedro is also the last of the free-flowing rivers in the Southwest.  

Abert's Towhee

Talk about a tricky bird to photograph.  Shade.  Sun.  Etc.  It would never sit still long enough for me to focus!  Out of the 3 shots below, there is really only one that I like!!  There are 12 stations on this trail and each has a story and marker to identify what it is that makes the area important.

I was also given a bird checklist which made it easier to help me identify this bird.  King Tuzigoot found the little bugger and asked me to capture the shot.  So I attempted.

It was definitely a bird that wasn't on my list but because we stopped and observed the bird's flight patterns, I was able to get a clear shot of it below in the sun.

Hutton's Vireo   Ruby Crowned Kinglet

Once we arrived at Green Kingfisher Pond, I kept my eyes open for "the Heron".  I think I asked one of those stupid questions at the front desk that day....."Will I see a Green Kingfisher?"  The volunteer looked at the other one and smiled back at me...."You might."  I got the drift, but weirder things have been known to happen.  Kingfishers, like Owls or Hawks, are some of my favorite birds to see in the wild because they are so interesting to observe.   While in Panama on Coiba Island and during a rafting expedition, I witnessed 2 or 3 different Kingfishers.  The hard part was keeping my eyes on the rapids while birding:)  One of my friends on the raft asked me how I could be birding while we were rafting.  Easy.  Watch the river and the sides of the river at the same time.  No talking:)

And then we spotted the Great Blue Heron.  With dehydration setting in, we headed back to our car satisfied by our days work.  The King enjoyed the Heron spot but he was ready to leave for home after the hike was over.....so I released him back into the sky with his spirit people.

If you love birding, you'll love this river!  Oh and I should mention, there were a lot of Phoebes around....just didn't want to take anymore pictures of them.  I already have enough.  King Tuzigoot was also fascinated by this bird.  Seriously, what is it with the Phoebe?  It is a cool bird, but does it cast a spell on birders or what?  Even the non-birders love it and they don't even know what they're looking at!!! For more on this place, click here.