The Planet Covid 19

Painted Lady

During this first true week of the pandemic in Arizona, I have seen great acts of kindness balanced with great acts of rudeness.  I have seen things written and said that are hateful on both sides. A divided nation.  Angry millennials telling the boomers that they deserve what they get and that essentially this disease is the "boomer remover". Here's the thing. Whether I agree or not with this older generation, I still love many of them. My parents are boomers.  Some of my best friends are boomers.  If anything happened to them, I'd be sad.  If anything happened to anyone close to me, I'd be sad. We are a divided nation with divided generations and a virus that doesn't care who you are. It's a scary time.  I look back at my life and just scratch my head.  So much has happened, but never have I had this experience! Home is my headquarters. Kinda....:)

Anna's Hummingbird

I have drawn deeper into myself this past week calling upon nature to heal.  And so have many other people; sometimes dangerously too close to one another.  Everyone says get out in nature, but people think, at least here, that if they are in nature and in close proximity that they won't be affected. Wrong!  As a birder, I know secret spaces where I can have a whole canyon to myself or a patch of grassland free of humanity.  It's really not as easy as you think.  Now that children have no school, they are off the leashes and some parents are letting them scare off the wildlife!

Common Black Hawk

The Tubac Hawk Watch was called off several days ago because many birders were congregating there to watch the amazing hawk show.  I did well and socially distanced myself from the crowds.  But some birders were jokingly doing high fives with their elbows and then hugged.  It's very human and beautiful.  And we forget.  "Certainly, he or she doesn't have the Covid(Corvid to birders) 19 virus.", we think. And let's face it.  Much of the birding crowd is over 60.  One infected person and BOOM! Gone. Wiped out. I'd hate to see that happen.  The hawk watch was shutdown by the town of Tubac.  Now secretly,in fear of fines or arrest, we walk the trails and look up at the skies in solitude pretending we're not looking for hawks in the sky above Tubac:) Hide the binos!

I've been personally connecting with spaces.  And friends in town.  This past weekend, we hiked 2 miles into the quiet Willow Canyon of the super crazy and busy Mt. Lemmon.  The snow on the road kept vehicles from driving into the canyon and that was a clue for us to explore.  We had snow and a beautiful running stream without human people screaming and shouting around us.  Perfection.  

female Cassin's Finch

Along the riparian corridors, clouds pose as jellyfish in the sky. 

A Common Black Hawk flies above our heads and we smile.  Migration is inspiration.  

The moon is a wonder in the daylight. 

Spring flowers bloom in the thousands.  The Anna's Hummingbird comes to feed in his territory. 

I look across the pond of a local preserve and observe Great Egrets hunting for fish.  Desert Bluebells and California Poppies begin their dazzling shows here. 

A Black-tailed Gnatcatcher dances around several wildflowers and gleans insects from the foliage. 

I go during the off times at a popular wetlands in Tucson and quietly observe everything around me.  The warblers are back!

Birds carry on as a serious pandemic takes hold in many countries. 

Common Gallinule

I scan the reeds and notice that one of the reeds is looking back at me. 

American Bittern

I drive out to a far away place for a rare bird.  I drive through miles and miles of wildflowers blanketing the Sonoran desert. It's the quiet that I need now. I need time to think. We are in the eye of a storm.  The crazy is about to begin and virus takes hold of the West.  Tonight, Pima County had its first Coronavirus death. 

I've seen people pay it forward.  We've witnessed someone giving the last loaf of bread to an elderly man who cried.  Someone at our produce market paid for 50 people to get food to their families. I almost had a tear in my eye until I saw an old granny vaping and blowing the vape in our directions.  Everyone around her was like, "What the hell lady?"  Social distancing was not happening.  

Northern Beardless Tyrannulet

And hey! I'm okay with ordering food every night to help support local restaurants.  That might be the worst silver lining ever:)  

Lucy's Warbler

Have hope.  Be safe.  Be smart.  And be kind to each other. Below is a video that made me laugh.  But warning....there is language. Until next time.....

Storm Systems

It has been one gray sky after another in Southern Arizona for the past 2 weeks.  And I love it.

The cool to cold air has been refreshing.  The walks are wonderful.

Birding has slowed down a bit which means I can just enjoy finding new year birds around Southern Arizona.

Our local, and rare-for-Tucson, wintering American Bittern has been VERY accommodating for pictures.  This has been the best view I've ever had of this species.

I've become enamored with "Stumpy" over the past visits at Sweetwater

I've been back at Sweetwater Wetlands and realized that I've missed the place.  Winter birders are back in great numbers and I feel safer parking my new vehicle in the parking lot.

A sneaky Plumbeous Vireo

My umbrella is always with me now.  So if it rains, I'm prepared.  There's nothing wrong about birding in the rain.  Sometimes it's the most beautiful thing in the world.

a curious Horned Lark

I ventured out to the grasslands on another trek and just enjoyed counting sparrows along the road. 

I broke my rule a little.  After we did our count in Pima county, I figured why not head to my favorite little town of Patagonia for a bit.

thirsty American Robins

While the skies were still gray in Patagonia, it didn't rain at all.  The birds were super active and we had a quite a show.  I almost fell asleep on the bench.

a rare White-throated Sparrow at Paton's Hummingbird House

Here's why I almost fell asleep.  I actually had tried getting up to Mt. Lemmon for a bird count but the rain and snow drove me out!  It was a white out on top.  The weather was actually good until I got to the top and then all hell broke loose!

Mt. Lemmon has crazy weather!

So plan B was to go to the grasslands.  At this point, I knew Micheal was up.  And the best way to motivate him was to tell him that I'd take him out to lunch.  Then we birded the grasslands and he wasn't having any of it.

Micheal doesn't like sparrows.  BOO!

So I conceded and took him to Patagonia where we could sit on the bench and watch birds.

a sexy red Fox Sparrow at Paton's!

More rain and snow are in the forecast and I'm in love.  Bring it on!

And here's one more shot of the American Bittern. Such a crazy looking bird. 

Finally, I'm excited to share with you all that the Great Horned Owls love our new nest that we've created for them!  Photographer, Jill Watkins, took these amazing shots of the owls as they prepare to nest. 

It's a relief and it's exciting.  A definite sign that spring is just around the corner.  Until next time....

March Madness

Hello everyone!  First I'd like to apologize to my readers for not keeping up with the comment section.  It has been a very busy month with visitors and birds.  My schedule booked up in March fast and that was when I realized that I needed to write things down on a calendar:)

Hooded Oriole

Somehow I manage a full time job while getting all this other stuff done.  And I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world. 

Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly

April and May are also packed with a busy schedule as we get ready for our huge fundraising event for Tucson Audubon, THE BIG DAY! The Wrenegades will once again join together and search for as many bird species as we can in one day to raise money for Southern Arizona's birds and the protection of their habitats.  Sara Pike is one of the fabulous team members and donations can be made here. 

Rivoli's Hummingbird

I'm also excited about several guests coming to visit this month and next as we find as many of their birds as we can for their life lists.  Then it'll be on to San Carlos, Mexico for some ocean birding.  Our summer trek will be a surprise. It'll be interesting to see where we end up since we haven't planned anything concrete yet:)

A Steller's Jay knows an opportunity when it see one.  But do these people know?

 But in the meantime.  I had a blast with my friend Kristen, her daughter Kayla and Kelly.  They did some fun hiking around Northern and Southern Arizona.  I wish they had more time.  Both are park rangers and LOVE to hike and see what there is to see.  

Steller's Jay

We had a beautiful visit up in Northern Arizona at Walnut Canyon National Monument. We did some great hiking around the area and found lots of excellent birds in the process. 

Montezuma's Castle is one of the many historic and beautiful national monuments of Arizona

 I was paying attention to the birds while they enjoyed the historic cliff dwellings of the ancient people.  We kept an ebird checklist and Kelly and Kristen were able to add new birds to their lifelist. 

We headed down to Montezuma's Castle near the Prescott/Sedona area and Kelly found this *almost* hidden Common Black Hawk along the riparian area.  It is nesting here.  And from the information I've gathered from ebird and the local park rangers in this area, there may be as many as TWO pairs of Black Hawks nesting along this stretch of river.  That is always encouraging news to hear.  This isn't always an easy hawk to spy in Arizona outside of migration. 

Common Black Hawk

Before their arrival, we headed to Ashurst Lake outside of Flagstaff to do a waterbird count.  Ashurst Lake is great for gulls and other shorebirds migrating through the area.  It's also a somewhat dependable area for the very nomadic Pinyon Jays. 

Ashurst Lake

During our visit, we watched a juvenile Bald Eagle go after an Osprey with food.  In fact, Bald Eagles are kind of like sky pirates:) However, this Osprey outmaneuvered the Eagle. 

Juvenile Bald Eagle goes after an Osprey

Another great hotspot near Flagstaff is the Kachina Wetlands.  Here we counted sparrows and ducks during a nice walk around the area. 

Kayla looks at frogs

The birding in Flagstaff isn't like birding Southern Arizona, but it's still fun.  There are several bird species you can add here that you can't in other areas.  During our visit, we heard the unmistakable drumming of an American Three-toed Woodpecker (which I wasn't expecting to find so early in the year nor in this area).  Thanks to Kristen, she pointed out the loud rapid drum.  The bird only did it one other time and from high up a Ponderosa Pine.

A gorgeous Savannah Sparrow

We checked other spots and it was very pleasant. One area that I'd really like to explore is Humboldt Peak which is VERY high and holds a few specialty birds.  My nemesis continues to be the Dusky Grouse. 

Then we headed down to Southern Arizona and while it was hot, it was great to be back here. Migrating birds never looked so good. 

Black-chinned Hummingbird

There are lots of Hummingbirds. 

And that "secretive" American Bittern at Sweetwater. 

Phainopepla

And lots of crested and colorful birds. 

This male Northern Cardinal below was very vocal and hopped around me as I did a count at Sweetwater Wetlands. 

Shy birds were out and about walking around reeds. 

An outed Sora

One day we had an amazingly cold morning full of rain and wind.  It was beautiful!  The birds were so active!

Abert's Towhee

Birds are wonderful.  As I approach final exams with my students, I feel the stress and anxiety that they feel.  Our walks are very relaxing. And necessary:)

Pyrrhuloxia

After the ladies left, I had some alone time and went to Agua Caliente Park after a stressful day at work to just connect with nature.  During that evening, I just listened to the bird song and followed their voices along the trail. 

Bullock's Oriole

If I ever lose my eyesight, and I hope I never do, it's my ears that will navigate my birding.  My blog will revert to audio sounds instead of photos.  I love bird song so much and it's what I use to find birds.  Without my ears, I'd be lost. 

A Gray Hawk banks to the side

If they whisper a cheep or throw me a chip note, I will find them. Rattles make it too easy:) Recently, I was with a friend in a wash where we spotted a well known and very chatty birder.  I've never seen birders scatter as much as they do when they see this individual.  It's okay to talk while you bird but NOT all the time.  How in the world will you find birds when your talking?  They'll all fly off!  Anyhow, we tried our best to dodge away from this individual.  It didn't work:(

A Common Yellowthroat stops for a moment to reflect:)

It was nice to come back to Southern Arizona. 

It's also nice to not feel the pressure of finding a new life bird.  We can wander wherever we like. And find whatever it is that wants to be found. 

Louisiana Waterthrush

Some winter birds are still hanging on while others are getting ready to leave. 

Next week, we'll take you to Mt. Lemmon for the start of warbler migration. 

As we say good-bye to our wintering birds, 

We say hello to our summer residents.  We'll also get to meet lots of great people in the process. That's the adventure of birding.  Arizona birding is some of the best birding in the United States.  

Until next time......