Reunion

The moment I arrived home, I knew I'd be going to a lot of family events. One of those events was the family reunion up in the northern part of Wisconsin.  Many years ago, my father searched for his biological mother and found her in the forested little town of Antigo.  During times of ignorance, it was expected a woman go "visit her Aunt" up in the North if she found out she was pregnant out of wedlock. In my Dad's case, a woman by the name of Lorraine gave birth and gave up her first born, my Dad, for adoption. Because that is what you did. The biological father didn't want to have anything to do with Lorraine or my Dad. She was put in a difficult place. My grandparents couldn't have children and desperately wanted a child. It was here that they found my father and adopted him in the forests of the northern woods of Wisconsin. It was all "hush hush" back then. 

After a year of investigation, my father and his biological mother eagerly agreed to meet.  It was a very happy reunion. When it happened, he was exposed to a much larger family.  They embraced him as one of their own. This time around, I'd finally get to meet that side of the family.  And from a birding point of view, I knew I'd find some great birds around the cabins of the northern woods of Wisconsin.  

Swamp Sparrow

The forest surrounding the cabins was a lovely emerald.  I saw my first American Beaver and heard the nightly calls of Common Loons on the lake. 

Between family, I went off into the woods and watched the loons call to one another on the water.  It was beautiful. 

Common Loon

This was the first time that I've actually birded in the northern parts of Wisconsin. So I added many new birds to my Wisconsin state list. 

Night would arrive and we'd break piñatas full of adult beverages. 

My sister tries her hand at the piñata. 

My mother hits the piñata with a whack. She is a pro.  I mean, she did raise 6 kids:)

My mom hits the piñata with a resounding crack! and small bottles of liquid fire fall out.  Adults rush to the ground for these delightful beverages. 

I wonder (and worry!) about the immature American Robin nestlings that are a little too close to the main cabin.  Over 30 people sit around the nest while the adult robins try to feed their babies. In fact, there are baby birds everywhere. 

immature American Robins

This fawn is alone and cries for his mother. Humans freak out as the baby animal follows everyone to the campfire.  What the humans don't know is that the mother didn't abandon her baby, she was only feeding herself so that she could feed her baby later on.  Apparently, we were just babysitting:) It's a number one human "no no". Leave the fawn alone. The little deer will be okay. 

I watch helplessly as J-man discovers a nice chocolate doughnut. 

7 ways of attacking a chocolate covered donut

Then I see what the sugar has done to him.  A Sith baby!

All around us, the forest is alive with young birds leaving their nests. 

Black-capped Chickadee

And nearby, their human counterparts are chasing bubbles. 

 As I grow older, I find myself understanding some of my siblings better than others.  The distance and time have changed us all.  Each developing and defining their own lives in their own worlds.  If I am not careful, I could lose touch with each of them.  For the first time during my trip home, I felt a disconnect.  It was a bizarre feeling.   

Family is everything.  I wish I could fix and make everything better for everyone, but it is not mine to fix. I love them all. But ultimately we live our own lives.  I guess the most important part is to let them know that I am there for them.  I've always been an independent person so when I got home, I discovered new family dynamics. I find myself thinking about my family more than my birds which is how it should be.  But for the first time in my birding life, birds do not distract me from this visit. 

Eastern Kingbird

I've always tried to understand my grandparent's and parent's relationship with their own siblings. The idea of losing the familiar bond with a sibling is a scary thought.  I'm not a talker on the phone nor do I live near my family so the first several days home is like an overload of information.    

I had a blast with the nephews and nieces.  Some are growing up too quickly.  I was able to spend some time with quite a few of them, but there's never enough time to spend quality time with all of them. 

My nephew goes for a bird walk with me. We explore feathers, bugs, fish and birds. 

This trek was good and necessary.  Mixing birding into the mix was a fun challenge.  Over the next several weeks we'll explore some excellent areas for birding in Wisconsin while catching up with the family. 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....

The Red Army Part 2

At the midnight hour, the day before we were supposed to return back to our classrooms, the deal fell through.  Anger.  Rage.  And once again, a trip up to the capital in the thousands is what many Arizona teachers did.  

"20 By 20" was Governor Ducey's response to the public education crisis in Arizona.  In other words, a 20 percent raise by the year 2020.  Originally it was 2 percent, but Arizona teachers had had it. Classrooms falling apart, support staff gone, and the loss of amazing teachers to other states were just a few issues that set off the Red For Ed movement.

Now at the midnight hour, literally, we were in the legislature once again in Phoenix.  The legislature wasn't going to pass Governor Ducey's proposed budget.  With thousands in the mall, legislation building and inside the legislation room with our lawmakers, we made it known that we weren't leaving until that budget passed.  And it did in the very early morning hours. It isn't a perfect plan, but it will do for now.  It was very clear that Arizona lawmakers didn't care about public education. They ignored the shouting from the mall and outside rooms. Their indifference spoke volumes. One representative, Kelly Townsend, wanted to fine teachers for walking out of the classroom.  Thankfully her bill didn't pass. This class act happened to be watching a movie while voting down a child care measure. Needless to say, their days are numbered. They have unwittingly created a red army come re-election night. Both Republican and Democrat teachers have joined together to stop these bad lawmakers, the Koch Brother agenda to privatize public schools and Dark Money. 

Exhausted physically and mentally by the strange hours of the strike and (not getting paid), I prepared for our fundraising event with the Wrenegades.  The crazy hours were taking their toll on my body.  I wanted to back out, but I made a promise to the team and I didn't want to break our year tradition.  

Wilson's Phalarope

 We raised lots of money for Tucson Audubon and had a very challenging time with high winds.  Each time we come together as a team, we learn lots from each other while catching up with things happening in the Arizona birding world. 

I birded, but my mind was on the strike.  How many more days would we go like this? Would our demands be met?  Would they extend our school days?  There were so many balls up in the air that it was difficult to concentrate. And my sleep schedule was all off. 

White-faced Ibis

 The birding was good and the first part of our evening passed with a beautiful reminder......

.....which was to just go with the flow.  I can't be 100 percent all the time, but I will try my best. 

Our evening was made even better when we started getting into the creepy urban wildlife spaces like the Sweetwater Wetlands.  I shared with the team why I had the heeby jeebies and they kind of all laughed it off until the person from Tucson Water, who unlocked the gate, joined us and shared a similar tale. 

There are no ghosts or goblins.  But there are strange characters that hang out at the park during all times of the day. Two such characters are known as Raccoon Bob and The Butcher.  When the lady started telling the story about the Butcher, they all burst out laughing.  I could tell that they hadn't birded Sweetwater enough to know that the Butcher was real. 

And while we were there, Raccoon Bob PASSED us in his rusty old bug TWICE!  Raccoon Bob hides in the darkness to watch mammals at night.  His favorite mammals are the raccoon.  I wasn't afraid of him.  I was more afraid of the Butcher.  He rides in an old red meat wagon and lives out of the vehicle.  Birders swear that he has been breaking into their vehicles.  And I'm also of the mind that it's the Butcher responsible for the parking lot crime wave.  We didn't see him that evening, but I knew he was around the area.  So did TEP(Tucson Electric and Power)

After the Sweetwater experience, I became a zombie up on Mt. Lemmon. I couldn't focus for the life of me.  It was 2 or 3 AM and I was cold.

In the morning, I found a letter on a rock overlooking the grand canyons of Mt. Lemmon.  The team thought I was joking around at first when I read the letter aloud, but it was a sad note.  A hiker had recently passed away on the trails after getting lost. By the time he was found, he was too far gone.  Our team member, Sara, saw his body in the bag before they took him away.  The letter was from his niece telling him that she would never forget him and that every time they looked out from that vista, she would think of him. On the rock by the letter were a pair of sunglasses and a tea packet. We folded the letter neatly up and placed it back on the rock.  It was a moment of reflection. 

Red-faced Warbler with the nest site behind

At this point, I had achieved my "2nd wind" and was excited to watch a pair of Red-faced Warblers make a nest under the roots of a tree. 

It was early morning and the woods were dark.  But how beautiful.  Then I found out the strike was off and it was back to work again getting the students ready for the finals. 

Canyon Towhee

After the Wrenegades, the strike and being back in the classroom, it was then time to guide.  Believe it or not, I looked forward to the guiding the most.  It gave me something to focus on.  

Western Screech-Owl

For 2 weekends, we chased really great birds and had success with most of them, except that blasted Arizona Woodpecker.  They were heard everywhere and yet, they were little buggers to spot.  

Western Tanager

I had a blast spending the weekends with Steve and Kathy from Wisconsin.  There is something about Wisconsin birders that I love.  Maybe it's because we're from the same state.  Maybe it's because I can slip back into my Wisconsin "don't cha no" accent and not be teased.  Or maybe because it's just nice to be around good people. 

Yellow Warbler

I take huge pride in Southern Arizona.  Showing people our secret gems from around this part of the state is always wonderful.  We are more than just a desert.  Although, I think Kathy will agree with me on this.....it's hot here!  So we went to higher elevations OR got up super early.  

Acorn Woodpeckers

We found the Rufous-backed Robins, Sinaloa Wren, Rose-throated Becard, nesting Elegant Trogons and lots of other birds.  

American Robin guarding a nest

We even spotted some weird rarities like Cassin's Finches, a Townsend's Solitaire and Williamson's Sapsucker. All lifers.  And not expected at all during their visit.  

The days fly by so quickly.  Kathy asked me what I'd do this weekend and I laughed. Nothing.  I am going to clean my house and sleep in.  No birds.  No heat.  No strikes.  No fund raising.  Just me and a cup of coffee watching my bird feeders.  

Broad-billed Hummingbird

Las Aventuras is planning 3 major treks before this "season" is over. August is the start of the new birding season. Anyhow, one trek is just exploring an area for birds in general.  The second trek will be the important one and it will hopefully propel me beyond the 1000 life bird mark.  And our 3rd will be a fun road trip to find just one bird in the US.  Stay tuned for more.......