The "Other" State

 The body grows tired, and my work gets mixed up in flowers, lizards, snakes, bats and bugs.  But onward I trekked with an amazing crew of wildlife trackers and herpers.  Being one of two birders, we safely entered the state of Sonora, Mexico which borders the southern part of Arizona. 

Flame Skimmer

We camped for several days and nights without electricity, air conditioning and other creature comforts.  And yet the rewards were higher on this trek than any other because we were in some remote areas around Sonora.  While the birds were in great numbers, they took a backseat on this trek.  

Pallid Bats

Some of the greatest mysteries still remain on the mountain tops of Northern Mexico.  Sonora is an amazing state full of surprises. As I've reported before, Arizona is a well birded state in most of the various regions.  In contrast, much of Sonora has not been ebirded. It's rather sad since it's all connected. Part of my job at our locale was to find birds and other rarities.  Birds like Green Kingfishers and Five-striped Sparrows are often seen in these places and this time was no different.  

I'm not a rough and rugged hiker as I do prefer the softer side of camping. And yes, camping can be fun and comfortable! One of my big dislikes for this time of year comes in the form of scaly fanged critters known as snakes. It makes birding a challenge! There were rattlesnakes and other venomous creatures hanging out in the thick grasses.  In one situation, I had a Black-tailed Rattler sound off with a loud "RAAAAATTTTLE!" and flee further back into the grasses!  I did my heebie jeebie dance and got away from the area.  The herper with me was sad that it had escaped. While I was freaking out, he was running after the snake!  Hopefully he didn't look back and see me doing my willy nilly freak out.  And yes, guys can admit that snakes freak them out.  Just don't kill them.  They are good to have around.....just not my personal space.  Herpers are a fascinating group of people.  Both birders and herpers are nerds in their own sense but I'll just say that one group is wilder than the other:)  Might have to challenge those stereotypes!

It was hard to ignore the many beautiful butterflies around the area. However our mission was to track Jaguars.  These elusive creatures had been found around several spots and so we went to check equipment around the various locations.  

Queen Butterfly

I am truly fascinated by this state.  This year Las Aventuras took you to Rocky Point, Sonora for a seabird adventure.  Now we're visiting the interior mountain region of the state.  It's a large area to cover and I hope to get further south for a closer look at the indigenous peoples and their tropical birds. 

Dark Buckeye

Finding a crew to go to Mexico is no easy task.  Not many Americans feel comfortable these days crossing the border.  And rightly so!  BUT crossing the border was a much safer option for me than staying near the border on the Arizona side to observe Five-striped Sparrows.  This year we ran into drug trafficking around the Ruby Road area and it was a bit unsettling. 

Africanized Bees!  Very dangerous when a swarm becomes upset.  Each year several people will die from their stings.

 One of my favorite things about the Sonoran desert is how wild and dangerous it all can be.  Poisonous critters, spiky cacti, heat and strange human varieties all inhabit this vast landscape.  Coming from Wisconsin, this place continues to fascinate me.  Every day I wake up in MY HOME, I think.....I live here!  I really really live here!  Purple sunsets.  Prickly cactus pads.  Sparkling hummingbirds.  Colorful lizards.  Outdoor dining.  Mountains.  Canyons.  It's all so beautiful and overwhelming at times.  And much of it is still so very wild. 

Ocotillo line a wash

The Sonoran desert enters a good portion of Mexico. Political lines, drug issues and very remote and rocky roads can make this area very undesirable to explore. And maybe language barriers:)  I'd love to piece together the "birdscape" puzzle between Arizona and the state of Sonora.  I'd get to use my Spanish and study birds.  Pretty awesome!

Southern Dogface

 While on this trek, a major discovery happened for me.  I glanced down on the ground and noticed this strange looking snake.  But it wasn't a snake.  Instinctively I knew this but it took me time to wrap my head around the creature I was staring at intently. Once my brain ID'd this lizard.....yes lizard......I did a secret herper lifer dance.  The move looks something like a snake wrapping itself around its prey. Not pretty at all.  There are not many lizards or snakes that inspire me to move in a positive manner, but the Madrean Alligator Lizard is like finding a Montezuma Quail!  Herpers and birders alike rejoice at these beauties.   Note their tiny tiny feet. 

Madrean Alligator Lizard

 With the recent monsoon rains, the canyon was ALIVE!  Imagine Julie Andrews singing the "Hills are Alive" running through the grasses and then getting bit by a venomous snake.  That's how green the mountains and canyons were!  Black and Turkey Vultures would quickly find her body and have a snack. Definitely not a Disney production:) Thankfully Julie never ran through THOSE grasses.

Common Lesser Earless Lizard

Most of the time, it's all very brown.  Yet with a wet rainy season, everything really greens up nicely!  All of this happens within a matter of a month!

The warbler migration has begun.  Most evident were the Nashville, MacGillivray's, Yellow and Wilson's Warblers dripping from the trees!  They were everywhere.  Blue Grosbeaks and Yellow-breasted Chats were also very abundant. 

Five-striped Sparrow

However, my mission this year was to observe Five-striped Sparrows and a Green Kingfisher.  I could not relocate the Rose-throated Becard.  Their nest was still present, but no one was home!

MacGillivray's Warbler

I am now home after a long weekend of satisfying work and bug bites! 

A special thank you goes out to Kathy Cooper and her daughter Mary Ann for making such wonderful meals.  It truly takes talent to work off the grid feeding a group of people without having the use of electricity.  Each meal was an amazing piece of art and our group was grateful for their hard work.  Kathy and Mary Ann, you both are one of a kind.  Thank you for organizing this spectacular event. 

Ares Metalmark

While it was a challenging weekend, we each completed our goals to help keep tabs on the wildlife in that area so that they stay protected.  We discovered Mountain Lions, Javelina, Coues Deer and so much more.  As for the Jaguars?  I hope they keep their secrets hidden from humans.  I know they are out there.  Once, 6 years ago, I came across one in the Amazon.  We briefly made eye contact and I smiled.  Some secrets are sacred.   For more on wild birds and other fun things found around our world, check out Wild Bird Wednesday!

Silence of the Lambs

Ares Metalmark

I am fascinated by cultures.  Over the years, I've heard some strange things.  Here are some Mexican beliefs that are interesting. This is written by a Mexican American woman.  "A few years ago, an old lady told me something about Black Butterflies, that are big, are a symbol of death. It means someone is going to die if it attaches itself to a house. She told me there is hope however, one must kill the Black Butterfly, in order to avoid death. I'm really scared about this. I saw this huge black Butterfly on some lady's house and just a few days later she died."
                                              
 "Also, one time at my aunts house one of them butterflies(The Huge Black one) landed on right next to the door. My grandma killed it before it got away. Not long after that, someone shot my aunt twice and she survived. I have not much to go on this subject but it frightens me alot."

Dicogaster coronada

 "My mother has been feeling ill and she's very young at only 36. We are having a lot of family problems and my mother was outside by the pool earlier today...she was doing some chores and one of them Huge Black Butterflies flew out and near her.  When she went inside it retreated somewhere by the house. She was talking to one of my elder aunts and told her about it, the elder aunt warned her about the significance of the Black Butterfly (Which was very big..like a small bird) and told her to kill it if she sees it again."

"I just got home from work(on my break) and my mom told me to look for it in my room- the Balcony outside of my room. I did, and sure enough, it was right there. It frightened me! I tried killing it but it flew off into the sky and then right back to my balcony. My mom ran upstairs and tried killing it but escaped and onto the roof. We have a two story house and I climbed from the balcony to the roof and searched for it and almost killed it but it flew off again. It flew off into the sky and I just hope it doesn't come back again..I know it sounds ridiculous but I beg for some helpful advice of anyone who might know anything? Witches, people who know about this sorta thing? please help If it flies away, is the Omen voided?"

Spring Azure butterfly

So many people believe these insects to be the signs of death.  And this isn't the first time I've heard of such things.  Id'ing moths is like trying to find a needle in a haystack but I do believe the moth that this young lady is describing is called the Black Witch Moth.  It's actually quite amazing.  Moths(and some butterflies) fight human superstition everyday with their own lives.

Gloveria arizonensis

They are such amazing creatures that come in all shapes and sizes.  I give credit to anyone who attempts at trying to ID them.  But going back to the topic of death, these insects are seen as evil in many cultures.  In movies like Silence of the Lambs or El Norte, they are used as symbols that reinforce these deadly views.

Apatelodes pudefacta (Type of Sphinx moth)

And that scares me more than anything else in this world.  Every species of plant, insect, mammal, bird, reptile, etc etc plays an important role.  So why feel the need to kill it? So my advice to this young lady is...."Don't kill the moth.  You'll be okay."

Carales arizonensis (a tiger moth;left) and Isabella Tiger Moth

This post seriously took hours to do and if I've ID'd incorrectly please let me know. I can label some things off from the top of my head by just looking at them.....not so much with this group:) I said to a volunteer, "There are a lot of moths out here today!"(as there had just been a recent rain).  She replied in a happy tone, "Oh you haven't seen anything!!!  Did you see this area outside?"  "Um, no."  I got outside and did an inner groan.  They are so cool to look at but I see hours of work researching their names afterwards......and so the photography was the easy part of this post.  Have you been in this situation?  You see cool stuff but fight the urge to not photograph because you'll have to ID later on(and you know it's going to be a bear!)

The Black Witch Moth

Luckily the moth that this young lady was describing is an easy answer.  The Black Witch Moth is awesome and found in the Southwestern part of the United States.  They live in Mexico.  They love drinking orange Fanta soda or rotten bananas.  It could be a cruel joke to play on supersticious people but I'd fear for the moths life and if we don't stop these crazy human thoughts, we're going to make them all go extinct.  More beauty on the way....