Secret Treasures

Guatemala is a real treat for any birder or wildlife aficionado.  The country has over 732 bird species alone!.  And there certainly are birds hidden everywhere.  My advice about when to bird in Guatemala?  Winter.  The bird population doubles as most of our North American birds migrate back down into Central America for the winter.

While there, I found 130 different species. Some I had already seen, but most were all new.  

Take for example, the Dusky-capped Flycatcher(above).  It's call makes this bird easy to identify.  It has a "meeee-ooooo" sound that stands out in the crowd.  It was fun seeing birds we have in Arizona down in Guatemala. Each bird species found was worth one imaginary birder point.  If you are going to bird a place, you challenge yourself to find as many bird species as you can. 

 And while I had seen this Yellow-winged Tanager (below) back in Antigua, I hadn't seen it in this county.  So another challenge for me was to find as many birds as I could in each place! So while the Tanager wasn't a lifebird, it was still an important find during my observations.

 Now I have to say this.  The views in this country are out of this world.  This particular post is set around Lake Atitlan.

 While we were there, I witnessed massive flocks of Lesser Goldfinches.

Something as common as American Coots were hard to find.  Only at the end of our journey, did we encounter them in very small areas around Lake Atitlan.  I was actually excited to find these birds.  Something so common back home was special here.  And it made me look at them differently when I returned back to Tucson.  I appreciate them even more.......if that's even possible. 

BUT!  I had been hearing birds that I did not recognize.  For this particular stay, I studied my birds well because there were some strange ones found here.  Take for example the Provost's Ground Sparrow.  I was coming back from dinner and caught the bird near our terrace. The bird quickly vanished.  By this point in my trip, I was exhausted.  I knew this bird from my studies and pulled out my cell phone to play the call.  When I did........Mr. Provosts came out to visit with me. 

But the hardest trial for me was the last bird.  I heard the call and instinctively knew I couldn't let this one get away.  And I pished!  AND PISHED!  My friend continued on her walk while I chased this warbler through the trees. 

 There was an intense urgency with me that I didn't understand.  But something inside my head made me instinctively recall this sound. 

I made contact with the bird and then realized why this one was special. It was a real treasure for it was the one and only Rufous-capped Warbler.  A bird found south of Tucson in the Santa Rita mountains.  However to get to them, one must make a tricky hike up a waterfall full of grasses and cactus. These warblers follow the stream up and down the canyon.  My friend Kathie almost fell off the rocks, but thankfully I blocked much of her fall. She still got some nasty bruises though!  I've searched for this bird 3 times on that dangerous trail, memorized it's call, filled my water pack for the hot trek and have plenty of stories to go with those adventures.  I remember once an old woman sitting on a stone moving her feet back and forth like a little kid.  She asked us, "Did you find the warbler?"  

"No.", we replied.

"I won't go up that rock.  It's too dangerous."

She reminded me that time is indeed ticking.  I won't always be able to do these treks. So this warbler is for all those people who can't see them on their own. After all, an adventure is best shared, isn't it? Below is a video I took to show you the kinds of habitats we explore to find those birds.  Life is truly wondrous. 

The adventure continues.....

Check out Wild Bird Wednesday for other worldly discoveries!

Bosque Del Apache

Going to a new place to bird beyond your own borders can be extremely exciting. I researched and researched all the possible birds I could see to maximize viewing.  We even planned our stay at the Dancing Cranes Bed and Breakfast.  Fantastic location with fantastic hosts.  I'll have their info below. On this trip, I was hoping to add 30 new species! But I've been known to be a dreamer:)

But being that time was tight, I only found seven.  Bald Eagle, American Crow, Pine Siskins, Bushtits, Northern Loggerhead, Snow Geese and Ross' Geese. The problems with birding on a tight schedule are plenty.  I had the evening to survey the area and the morning to work on my photography.  That's it.  So I didn't have enough time to do both!  Some shots turned out wonderfully while my Bald Eagle shots are poor....and yet we saw them.

Bosque is a large area to cover and I think a person needs at least 3 days minimum to do a somewhat complete count around the grounds.  Being that it was a tight schedule, we headed towards the Northern Ponds which allowed for us to observe the Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes....our target birds. The Southern Pond was quiet but had many worthwhile birds in hiding.

And it was sure Birds of Prey heavy!  Raptorville everywhere you looked!  Ravens, Crows, Harriers, Hawks, Eagles and Falcons!

No matter how many times I see them, American Coots make me laugh.  They are so lazy when it comes to flight.  In the pic below, they try running on ice. Not such a great idea.

I love how they huddle all together and it made for great picture taking.

One thing I was able to do better was observe Dark Eyed Juncos.  They were everywhere in New Mexico and Colorado.  I now have their calls down.  So if you're driving through New Mexico and wondering what's worthwhile to see, think about putting Bosque Del Apache on your list of "must sees!"

Of course, winter is cold in New Mexico.  So bring layers to keep yourself warm in the morning and shed a couple by afternoon.

During the time of this shoot, it was freezing cold.  You can see the ice on the waterways in the above pics.  I sometimes forget that most places outside of Tucson are cold.  Glad I remembered my pants:)

And if you're looking for a great place to stay, give Jim and Jana a try!  Their yard is full of bird feeders and lots of cool birds.  The White Winged Dove, Sandhill Cranes, Dark Eyed Juncos, White Crowned Sparrows, a Belted Kingfisher, and Great Egret were all just some highlights!

For more information, visit this post as it's a place off the grid and there really isn't any official website for the Bed and Breakfast. It's legit folks and the hosts love what they do so if you are a wildlife aficionado or just a lover of the great outdoors, they'd like to meet you. And you'll love to meet them. You'll be glad you did.  The adventure continues next week......

The Dark Side

Yellow Headed Blackbirds

Just how many black birds are out there??!!!!  Well on this day with Kathie, we'd discover every type of black bird and then some at Lakeside Park!!!!  There were some incredible surprises in the mix as well....rarities.  I love my birding buddy.  She's not only a cool person, but I now miss her when I'm birding alone.  Birding anytime is great but it's better when we work together as today would prove.

Great Tailed Grackles

And of course there were those that stood out from the "black feathers" only club.  But Kathie's careful eye discovered Cowbirds!!!  She was in awe and when it's something big, she says things like, "Oh my gosh Chris.  Oh my gosh! That's a...."  And we both get excited over the discovery.  

Wigeon

First, she documents and by the time she gets that camera ready, they've taken off on her. Birds are fast so I usually snap the shot and ID later.

Mallards landing

Now to be honest, blackbirds or sparrows scare me and can be difficult to ID. Or maybe it's just in my mind.  But they are birds and they are cool.  I just don't know why I feel that way because the blackbirds are incredibly interesting behavior wise.

American Coots

But inevitably, my eye is attracted to the raptor sitting in the tree.  I'm fascinated by them. Or how the above Coots gathered in a big group to have breakfast.

Red Tailed Hawk

But something captured both Kathie and my eyes.  Yellow.  WTH?!  There were two yellow headed blackbirds on the grass!  If you've ever tried taking shots of these birds, you know how difficult it is to get them on camera as they like to hang out in the reeds around water areas.  But here out in the open, there were TWO Yellow Headed Blackbirds.  And these birds do grab my attention and it was one of the many personal thrills for this day. The Vermilion Flycatchers and Herons being the other exciting finds...

But this sequence here of shennagins really got me excited and was thrilling to get on the camera.

Like hummingbirds, there was a pecking order and someone crossed the line......it was the female Grackle.

What a ^%&#!  She had to get her bill into the fold but thankfully the two young ones stood their ground......until 2 Kestrels presented themselves up in the airwaves and then all hell broke loose.  Everyone and their mother goose got up and flew the coup!

Well except for this cute adorable little White Crowned Sparrow.  They're back!

White Crowned Sparrow

The shot below of the Cowbirds REALLY got Kathie jumping up and down.  Luckily I was able to capture the two together.  It's important to note that they are two completely different Cowbirds hanging out on the same branch.   The trees were full of Brewer's, Grackles, etc etc.  And these two were cleverly disguised in the mix. And while the Bronzed Cowbird wasn't a lifer for me, the Brown Headed Cowbird was.  It was an unusual find in Tucson.  I saw my first Cowbird in Madera Canyon.

Male Bronzed Cowbird and a Brown Headed Cowbird

Kathie told me that this would happen.  She said that many times there are different birds hiding in the mix.  But my eyes were pulled to the Vermilion Flycatchers, Egrets, Herons, Raptors, Hummingbirds, etc etc.

And lately the Warblers have grabbed my full attention.  Coming up, I'll present several from my Portal visit. It was a fun day, as always, with Kathie.  But most importantly, I learned the very important lesson of looking closer.  Not everything is as it appears.  And then I joined the Dark Side of the force:) And it's appropriate.  Kathie would be the Emperor and I would play her henchman Darth Vader.  That Yellow Rumped Warbler never had a chance:)  More tomorrow.....

Yellow Rumped Warbler

Riding Out The Storm

I really enjoy the hikes during some of our softer monsoon rains.  These pics today aren't spectacular but they are interesting.  The cooler temps allow the birds and animals to come out and play.  Well if play meant eating:)  Some of the things that I love to see on my walks are how the hummingbirds, in their natural state, fly and hover over water to capture bugs.  An update from yesterday.  A beautiful morning in Montosa Canyon with some fantastic wildlife shots.  No luck on finding the hummer but that's okay.  I had a scary run in with drug runners and that was unexpected but I'll write more about that later.  Everything is okay once I was with my birder friends who weren't far off.  These pics today are from Sweetwater after one of our gentle monsoon rains.

A hummingbird hawking

This act is called “gleaning,” “gnatting” and “hawking.” Hawking looks like aerial acrobatics made of erratic twists, stops and whirls as they chase invisible bugs.  The thing I like about Tucson is that you can see hummingbirds doing things naturally without feeders.  These were tricky shots to get but I had so much fun watching them.  This was the closest that I've been able to get to them while they are in this mode.  It's hover...zoom....hover.....zoom 4 miles.....hover....zoom back....zoom up....zoom down:) By the time, I get the manual on focus, it's too late:)

The views are wonderful.  The cloudy weather a relief from the blasting sunlight.  And it's a great reason to get out and breath some of that rain cooled air:)

"Ah-AWWwwww!".  Where oh where are you now Mr. Gambel?  You never know where they are standing watch.   In the trees, on a fence, or in this case, on top of a huge dirt hill looking down at me:)

Or the American Coot.  She didn't mind me getting too close while on her nest.  But the male did:)

And finally!!!  The Night Heron shot was nice because these guys tend to hide.  But since no one was on the trail, I was able to get an okay shot of this beautiful bird.

It was great getting out in Tucson for some hiking.  No canyons today.  No mountain tops yet(those are coming up:).  Just a nice walk nearby our home:)  More tomorrow....

Waiting For The Night To Fall

I had "one of those days".  In my own kingdom, I am happy, but I do not enjoy fixing everyone's problems anymore.  The days of gossip and rumours are over. TV really doesn't even interest me! But unfortuneatly at work, there are students, parents, and teachers who bombard me with the turbulent drama of the working world.  I just don't have that energy.  It may seemed detached, cold, or indifferent.......but I have come to the conclusion in my life that things will happen as they happen and that I cannot control them. And sometimes the drama from their trouble makes me feel anxious inside....and from my perspective and others....it's not healthy.

After work, I took my camera and returned to a place that centers me and keeps me in check emotionally. And it was what I needed.  Do you ever walk quietly through a space and just listen?  I mean....really listen. I began my walk near 2 solitary American Coots and just watched them walk through the water with the sun on their backs.

Of course, the intense sounds from the thousands of blackbirds both Redwing and Yellow Headed were at times deafening!  These birds I've always glanced over on my way into the park, but today I just watched.

Slowly I made my way over to the areas inhabited by the Red Wing Blackbirds.  Loud and very Present.

There was one more still pond that had the one solitary Sandpiper.

It flew in a circle before landing.....creating silent ripples across the still water.

Yellow Headed Blackbirds covered the skies as they flew in their sunset patterns over and around my head to quickly descend and vanish into the reeds.

And there were birders. 3 to be exact.  One was a Southerner who hunted ducks and just discovered the Sweetwater Wetlands.  He was "the other" kind of birder....the one that shot ducks.  I think I understand, but I find it difficult to find beauty in killing a duck for the sport of it....and then watching them in a protected area thinking about how fun it would be to hunt them down.  I guess I use my camera to shoot pictures, but at least it doesn't kill.  He was a talkative birder who liked to say, "Amazing" a lot.  

A silent elderly couple whispered to me....wait for it:)....."There is a Phoebe over there." What is it with people and Phoebes? Is this the only place where they live?  They are a tiny(and fun to watch) little black and white bird.  It flies in small or wide circular patterns.  I tried to capture that with these pictures.

Watching this bird fly is interesting and maybe this is what draws the visitor's attention......but seriously, every birding expedition has people screaming up and down about this bird. I see them everywhere I go.  And I laugh to myself:)

Well, it is a good looking bird:)

Walking through the trees in the cool breeze, I glance Mt. Lemmon in the distance at full sunset.  The telephone poles remind me that I have to go home.  But I don't.  I listen to all the birds settle down into the reeds and the darkness take over.....and it is strangely calming.

And then the night falls and I feel better.......relaxed.