A Weekend With Cheroot

Greetings everyone!  Before we begin this week's adventures, I wanted to let everyone know about a new feature to the Las Aventuras Blog.  We have a Las Aventuras store! We've had a lot of requests from over the years, and it has taken us awhile to figure this all out. On the left bar, you'll find a link that will take you to our products that range from fun pillows, cards, clocks, key chains, mugs, and acrylic prints. This has been a work of love from over the years and we are finally ready to share our work with you all. I have sold my work to magazines, individuals, books and businesses. Currently I am working with an owner of a birder bed and breakfast here in Southeastern Arizona where we will supply those final touches to the walls, beds and towels. I have been thrilled to see what people have done with my work and I figured we'd do the same with our own home.  We will be releasing new work every day from owls to hummingbirds and more! If you don't find something in the store and have seen it in the blog, let me know by sending me an email.  Now for this week's adventure! 

White-faced Ibis at Willcox

On my days leading up to our annual White Mountain trek, I did some quiet birding alone.  My work and this heat has drained me.  Every year I forget how much it all takes a toll on me.  I often think there is no end in sight.  Then a trek up to the White Mountains reminds me that the cooler weather will arrive soon. 

Mountain Chickadee

This year I had the pleasure of meeting a new friend by the name of Cheroot. My friend Celeste adopted this older furry little guy and brought him with us on our trek to Springerville.   

Clark's Nutcracker

I didn't know how that would go, but it was actually a lot of fun.  Whenever I introduce myself to new dogs, I let them smell my hand first so that they can get to know me.  This was especially important for Cheroot since he is nearly blind. 

On our lengthy trek up to the mountains, Cheroot trembled.  He was anxious about the travel and perhaps anxious about the idea of being abandoned. We believe Cheroot had a difficult life before Celeste and Cheroot found each other.  As an animal person, I tried my best to have him relax in my lap.  Yes, this little stinker made it to the front seat with me where he fell asleep on my lap.  Celeste and I both would take turns in the passenger seat.  It was easy to fall in love with this dog.  He definitely loves his new friend.  

There were moments I saw that little puppy emerge.  There were times I could feel his doubts from his past owner's neglect. There were moments when he played with us just to see what our reactions were going to be. And then there were moments when I observed the older pooch emerge. But it's quite clear that unconditional love makes Cheroot keep going. People who live with animals understand this emotion quite well. Unconditional love and trust. 

The views and the weather were wonderful.  Cheroot did our several mile hikes every day like a trooper. We'd have the morning to play and then the rain would arrive like clockwork at noon. 

There were times when Cheroot would become passionate about protecting his friends from other dogs.  

Celeste would do her best to curb his passionate growls and barks at the other dogs, especially the ones that weren't on a leash!

Once everything was in the clear, we'd continue walking the trails and looking for birds and anything else that would come our way.  

While we were there, we heard wolves in the distance and viewed lots of amazing birds. 

Western Tanager

Migration was upon us and so that meant we needed to keep our eyes open for rare eastern vagrants, which we did.  And we added a nice Eastern Kingbird to the state list. These birds are usually one day wonders and we just happened to be in the right place at the right time. 

Summer Tanager

The walks were amazing.  Cheroot took a moment to sip from the fresh mountain water. 

We kept our eyes open on our way down through the Salt River Canyon for Golden Eagles. 

Golden Eagles love to fly high around cliffs

On the Butler Trail, Celeste spies her first American Three-toed Woodpecker. 

female Three-toed Woodpecker

This bird can be tricky for birders in the state of Arizona. It's just a tricky woodpecker in general as they are dark and like to feed from the higher portions of the tree tops behind lots of tree branches. 

Yours truly is trying to shed some pounds after my treks to Maine and Wisconsin this summer.  The heat in Tucson has curbed my walking so I try to find ways to get my steps in.  For example, I walk more at work inside the buildings instead of outside. I'm also watching my exposure to the sun more now.  I don't want skin cancer!

Red-tailed Hawk

We trekked around Springerville, Greer and Pinetop finding all the specialties that occur in those areas EXCEPT my nemesis, the Dusky Grouse. 

Cliff Chipmunk 

A Common Raven snatches something weird from the ground at Sheep's Crossing.  Maybe it's better we don't think too much about what it is that the raven has in its bill. 

Common Raven

We weren't the only ones who had hiking in mind.  People from all over the west were in the White Mountains enjoying these wonderful temps. 

Cheroot loved it.  He was always with us.  It was interesting to note what pet owners have to endure as they travel with their pets.  For example, eating out was tricky.  We had to find a hotel that was pet friendly.  There were extra charges for having a pet, but it was possible.  During this trek Cheroot broke two rules!  He slept on the bed with his buddy!  Plus, he used his puppy powers to jump up on the bed!  

Black-throated Gray Warbler

And of course, he made it clear that he wasn't having the back seat anymore.  It'll be the front seat if he has his way from this point on:)

Cooper's Hawk

It was a fun weekend out and it flew by much too quickly. Until next time....

Happy Cheroot

On the 12th Month....

One step at a time. One month at a time.  One bird at a time.  It's time to take a look back on this years very often slow trek to the top, finding birds. 

We began in January.  It was a good start to the year finding 4 new lifers in one month.  That's almost unheard of these days. The birding was fun and the temps were wonderfully COLD!  I love birding in the cold weather.  On a rare snowy day in Sierra Vista, I found my exciting lifer, the American Bittern.  Then it was off to Lake Havasu where we found another cool bird, the Yellow-billed Loon.  These two bird species are favorites of mine and I had been really looking forward to observing them in the wild. Then, on a windy day, I chased the McCown's Longspurs.  I like grassland birds, but I had a nasty headache from the blustery conditions in Green Valley while helping birders target these two longspurs. If I were ever a paid guide, I think my strength would be finding grassland birds.  Another bird, which was less exciting, was the Barrow's Goldeneye.  All birds are awesome BUT some birds are more exciting to find than others.

Let's begin. January, 2016 I began the year with 706 observed bird species in my life.  And then it began as I added American Bittern, Yellow-billed Loon, Barrow's Goldeneye and McCown's Longspur

In February, the Rusty Blackbird continued.  It took 3 attempts to find this bird and eventually it happened.  I love blackbirds a lot and adding this lifer was a thrill for me.  Thanks to Brian for the encouragement to keep chasing it. 

Rusty Blackbird

Then March arrived.  I was SO looking forward to our trek out to California.  And all of it was a complete joy.  I love the ocean.  And I love all these birds.  The landscape was gorgeous and so was the ride out to Catalina Island. 
So in March, I added Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Black Turnstone and Spotted Dove.

In April, I began lacking the energy needed for chasing birds.  It was starting to get hot outside and the idea of standing in the desert sun was not my idea of fun.  I almost didn't go but thanks to Magill's encouragement, I went.  And I got myself a random lifer, AND RARE!, warbler for the state.  April-Prothonotary Warbler

If April was hot, May was even hotter.  I wasn't thrilled about hearing a Black Rail.  I would have liked to see the bird but it's a difficult one to see in the wild.  We chased the ABA first, Pine Flycatcher.  Thanks Jeremy for driving!  They were hot days and the only way I survived was by drinking ice cold water in my camelpack. Not my idea of fun birding.  While the excitement level was high, I was looking forward to birding in Wisconsin during the month of June in cooler temps. May-Black Rail, Red-headed Woodpecker, Pine Flycatcher

Then June came.  I didn't go anywhere exotic, but I did find myself enjoying the cooler temps of Lake Michigan with my people.  I missed being around the Wisconsin birding crowd. It was a tight study in a window of 3 weeks.  During this trek with Gordon, we landed the most lifers including rare gems like the Kentucky, Cerulean and Kirtland's Warblers.  Many were a lot of fun to look for.....except maybe the Mourning Warbler due to the intense cloud of mosquitoes. 
June-Yellow-throated Vireo, Kentucky Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Sedge Wren, Wood Thrush, Scarlet Tanager, Acadian Flycatcher, Blue-winged and Golden-winged Warblers, Kirtland's Warbler, American Woodcock, Little Gull, Mourning Warbler, Winter Wren and Alder Flycatcher.

In July, it was back to the heat.  I didn't want to return to Arizona but I had to save money.  I didn't think anything was going to come my way.  That is, until a Hudsonian Godwit flew into Arizona.  This is where I began to change as a birder.  

California Scrub-Jay

I could see that my days for chasing year birds in Arizona were coming to an end. I saw the massive crowd of birders and realized that it was time to move forward in my life as a birder.  I chased the Godwit because it was a lifer.  The weather was miserable and so was my attitude. At this point, I began taking my name off of the top 100 ebirders in Arizona and the US.  This was not a game for me, nor is birding a competition. ABA added the California Scrub-Jay and Townsend's Storm-Petrel as separate species ....and I added two more birds to my lifelist in July making it three lifers. July-Hudsonian Godwit, Townsend's Storm-Petrel and California Scrub-Jay

Hudsonian Godwit

Then August came.  And for a brief moment, I remembered the fall like temps of the North.  And I remembered how much I loved birding.  After many attempts of searching for this bird, it finally happened.   August-American Three-toed Woodpecker

American Three-toed Woodpecker

I was truly expecting ZERO lifers in September until Hurricane Newton came our way.  The sky turned dark and gray.  It was rainy and cool.  And I felt alive.  I also felt like something magical was going to happen.  And it did!  The eye of Newton broke up close to home, introducing me to a new species from the Galapagos Islands!  RARE!  Storm-Petrels are another favorite of mine and so my blood was pumping after finding three different species here in the desert!  THIS was the BEST birding day of the year for me. And it will go down as a historic day in birding for the state of Arizona.  September-Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrel

Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrel

My life at this point was overrun with overtime and work.  But the saving grace was a trek out to Monterey, CA where I'd be out on the ocean for several days.  This month would land me several important lifers and bring me closer to completing my birding chapter in California.  This was another fun California trek with Debi Love Shearwater. October-Pigeon Guillemot, South Polar Skua, Black-footed Albatross, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Lesser Sand Plover, Buller's and Flesh-footed Shearwater




In November, I did not find any lifers.  However, I have been adding old files into iNaturalist and I wanted to verify an ID on this hummingbird below.  I had labeled it a White-necked Jacobin, but the ID had never sat quite right with me.  When a birder is unfamiliar with new birds, it can be difficult.  To make it worse, I wasn't truly a birder in 2011. I was more like a bird photographer. I had only started getting interested with the birding challenge after this trip to Panama.  So technically, I added a tick on my list by adding this beautiful Snowy-bellied Hummingbird.  So November wasn't really a bust:)  When a birder can ID a bird with certainty, it then makes the bird a lifer even though I saw this bird back in Boquete in June of 2011. 

Snowy-bellied Hummingbird

And finally December.  It has been a long month and I was beginning to think that I wasn't going to add any new birds to my list.  However, several days ago I was able to add on Thayer's Gull and Eastern Screech-Owl during my visit to Wisconsin.  

Eastern Screech-Owl

This has been a hard fought year for some tough birds.  The rarity highlights include the Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrel, Pine Flycatcher and Lesser Sand Plover.  We'll see you back next year, but for now I'm wishing everyone a wonderful and Happy New Year!

Vaporizing Cold Rub

Photo courtesy of Babs Buck.  Left to right, Gordon, Me and Muriel

The intense desert heat lifted as we entered the autumn like weather near the town of Greer. Finally!  It was cold again!

The abandoned South Fork cabins

We found an abandoned camp littered with old mattresses and broken glass.  Our mission was simple......find two tricky birds, the American Three-toed Woodpecker and Dusky Grouse.

Left to right, Muriel, Babs and Gordon

I joined Babs, Gordon and Muriel as we searched high and low for these two would-be-lifer birds.

The storms hindered much of our stay, often chasing us off the trails due to intense lightning storms.

Olive-sided Flycatcher at Butcher's Campground

The wildlife was cooperative. Maybe too cooperative. At one point, we encountered Mexican Gray Wolves on the trail.  We left the dark woods quickly.

Elk

Squirrels. Wolves. Deer. Elk. Coyotes. Chipmunks. Coyotes.  All seen while searching for our birds.

Abert's Squirrel

A juvenile Olive-sided Flycatcher made everyone happy as it hung out near the road bathing.

Often times, this bird hangs out high up in the trees far far away from photographers.

During the bad weather, we stopped at some great eats in Springerville. Booga Red's and Los Dos Molinos provided some tasty Mexican dishes spiced up with green chiles.

At the dawn's early light, we searched for American Dippers and Gray Jays.

We combed the grasslands for Mountain Bluebirds and Pine Siskins.

Pine Siskin

We were surrounded by life everywhere.

Gray-collared Chipmunk

We encountered young and old alike.

Adult and Juvenile Pied-billed Grebe

And eventually, after a lot of hard work, we found JUST ONE of our target birds. The amazing American Three-toed Woodpecker.  FINALLY!  After 4 lifetime attempts and about 100+ hours of trekking over the years, I found my bird.  Whoever said birding was "easy" needs to have their head examined.  It's not easy!  The more birds we find; the trickier the game gets.

American Three-toed Woodpecker-new lifebird; found on the often reliable Butler's Trail in Greer

The rain won't keep us away:)  My treks move forward to coastal waters with a special lady.  I will return home to the frozen North.  And in the meantime, we'll be meeting up with old friends(and new) again on the trails both here and elsewhere over the next two months. 

A fun shot.  I'm reenacting my happy hobbit side on the trails

A special thanks to Gordon for driving the several hour journey from Phoenix! One chapter of my life is ending and another is just about to begin. Over the next several months, things are about to get good. It has been a difficult year with a lot of hard work involved, but I see a light at the end of the tunnel and things are going to get exciting:)  For my international friends out there, I'm coming your way:)  As of now, I'll be on blogger hiatus for a couple weeks.  I'll be back again reporting from the trails. Until next time....