Secret Worlds of Sanity

Gray Hawk monitors area

Birds can and do speak to one another often.  From the hundreds of bird species that call Arizona home, it's a constant challenge to learn all their various forms of speech. Every time I go out, I attempt to learn their language.  Migration is in FULL swing now and birds are in full song mode. 

Camouflage and possible nesting site.

As the pandemic takes a stronger hold, I explore further into the overlooked/underbirded areas of Arizona. The town of Catalina has a lot of beautiful areas to bird. Arizona is wild and open country.  

This is NOT social distancing!  To be fair, I think we survived this covid scare because it was all around us in January and February. I'm still not taking any chances.  My friend on the right , we believe, had it in January.  But we'll never know since our governor doesn't have enough testing for everyone.  Just go home and die there. Oh wait!  Only go to the hospital if you're dying and it's too late.  Ducey is a terrible governor.  Thankfully Lori survived the event.  She is a survivor.  My neighbor is recovering from covid right now.  She was lucky in that it was just a mild case for her. How did she get it?  Friends from Washington came to visit:(

I continue to counter the crowds by understanding their routine lives. I visit places that most people overlook. There's a lot of back road trails around the Catalina area that have several lovely riparian areas. 

Not distance in the trail between me and my subjects!  Social distancing is a serious matter.  

Sometimes permits are required, but it's well worth the planning. Today, I'll share some tips and observations from my past week's time out with our amazing Arizona birds.

The best birding right now in Arizona is along our riparian areas as birds migrate through these wet and shaded corridors.  If you're a rarity hunter, this is the place to be.  Our first stop is the incredibly beautiful riparian area known as Cienega Creek Natural Preserve outside of Tucson.  You need a permit for this location, but it's easy and free!  Just go online and follow the instructions. I was interested in this corridor for migrating warblers and nesting hawks.

The Audubon's Yellow-rumped Warbler

This area is incredibly bizarre.  One walks from desert birds immediately into a creek covered by cottonwood trees!  It's night and day.  And so are the birds.  We walked from above the highway surrounded by desert into this very loud birdy area.  It was so bizarre to me because I couldn't hear the birds down inside the canyon.  But once we got there, WOW!  The bird song took over. 

I am always intrigued by this time of year because wintering and summer warblers overlap.  There are the chipping Yellow-rumped Warblers in their gorgeous breeding plumage mixed with our other regular wintering warbler, the Orange-crowned Warbler.  A regular warbler that breeds in the higher elevations of Arizona but pass through these areas on the way up to places like Mt. Lemmon, the Black-throated Gray Warbler, can also be found here in smaller numbers. So often, those are the "chips" you will hear in the riparian corridors.  The challenging part is figuring out which chip is made by these warblers. 

Black-throated Gray Warbler

And while that is going on, the summer breeding warblers, the Yellow and Lucy's Warblers are vocalizing, (and chipping) and looking to settle down for a nest.  Now the trickier part is separating all this "noise" from rarities like a Prothonotary Warbler or American Redstart.  While Celeste was getting an ID on a sparrow along the creek, I was trying to locate what I thought was an American Redstart calling.  No luck.  Cienega Creek can be a challenge for birders as many of the warblers, flycatchers, etc hang out inside the trees. 

And while all these warblers are chipping or singing, there are a million other birds making their various calls. My ears are good.  Often I stand in one spot and just enter in the data.  I don't have to see many of these birds as I have seen them often.  But some, I like to see over and over again..... Yes, I have my favorites:)

I'm not a huge fan of vireos and it has been a vireo week!  We had Cassin's and Plumbeous Vireos which have somewhat similar calls.  We had a Warbling Vireo at the creek.  AND the MOST common vireo is my FAVORITE one, the Bell's Vireo.  Their "watchee wichahhh" call also makes me laugh. It's a small vireo with a loud voice and a huge personality.  Here's your yearly photo of a Bell's Vireo.  I cannot tell you how much I love these little vireos.  

Bell's Vireo

And again, flycatchers are cool but not my favorites EXCEPT maybe the Northern Beardless Tyrannulet.  Again, it's a common bird for southeastern Arizona and one I know very well.  The call is a piercing, repetitive and slightly descending PIU PIU PIU PIU! It's often in the background and ignored by birders. Or birders don't know what bird is making that noise. It's unique. But I've wired my brain to repeat the call subconsciously outloud when I hear the bird.  Then I look.  They also have this three note "di di di" that means they are just chillin' and letting their other half know where they are.  The piercing repeated note is a territorial call. At the creek, we had them foraging for bugs around the lower canopy of the cottonwoods.

The smallest flycatcher with the biggest personality, the Northern Beardless Tyrannulet

And while ALL this is going on, you have to keep your eyes and ears ready for hawks!  Hawk migration might be winding down, except maybe for the Swainson's Hawks, but most of the other hawks are beginning to nest. On this day, we had beautiful views from a pair of Gray Hawks getting ready to nest.  They made their "whiny" scream to let others know that this was THEIR spot.  

A Gray Hawk flies over our heads

And while not a great shot of these Zone-tailed Hawks, it didn't lesson the excitement when we spotted them trying to pair up.  To observe these hawks nesting in this area was worth the trip alone.  

Zone-tailed Hawks "flirt" as they ride the thermals over the creek

During another trek this week, I planned for a sunset walk along Proctor Road into Madera Canyon.  I did about 2 miles along the trail.  People were thick along the creek and all were Covid 19 violators.  They weren't smart at all about anything really.  They were in the streams letting kids run around the banks where I've seen rattlers.  Another woman thought she could illegally trespass into the Santa Rita Lodge bird area because it was her right. The owner was polite and told her to turn around but the woman continued with her vulgar speech and that she had every right to walk on their private property.  The lodge had to call the rangers.  Many people from the city who have no clue about nature are literally overcrowding these natural spaces. And it's because of this, so many places are completely shutting down their entrances into parks and preserves.

Madera Canyon at the right time of day is a delight.  At 4 PM, a lot of the annoying people have to go home and "eat" and do whatever they do at night.  I arrived as the canyon was emptying out.  And I had the whole place to myself. My mission?  I don't know.  Just get out of the house and enjoy being outdoors.  This quarantine can be too much! Thankfully there's plenty of areas where I can go to avoid the crowds. 

Common Raven

As I hiked up into the Whitehouse area of the trail, I sat down with this Common Raven and watched him waddle about the empty parking lot looking for food.  Then in a really interesting observation, I watched him call his partner from the parking lot into the sky.  

In less than a minute, I watched her swirl down from out of nowhere to join him. 

She flew right in front of me.  Ravens are absolutely gorgeous.  Look at the detail of that plumage!  I imagine, if I were a designer, how I'd incorporate such intricate patterns into one dress.  This Common Raven has 7 or 8 different feather patterns!  Incredibly beautiful bird. 

I hear the dry "whit" of the Ash-throated Flycatcher hiding on a limb

After watching the Common Ravens, I hear the unmistakable calls of the Montezuma Quail!  I go into the canyon further and find them.  They toy with me like they always do.  And like always, I'm so stupid that I flush a covey!  The male makes his alien descending "zzzzzzzrrrrr" after they flush as if giving me the middle finger.  Well, that's me giving the bird a human personality. What he really was doing was telling the ladies where he went:)

The canyon was so lovely that I stayed until the evening just to listen for Whiskered Screech-Owls and Elf Owls.  And it didn't disappoint.  I also hung out with the owner from the Santa Rita Lodge for awhile chatting with him about his business in this time of cancellations.  He's hoping the loans will help him out.  I'm hoping he got through that mess.  Apparently it wasn't as easy as the US government made it out to be.  Again, a bunch of liars. Every single one of them. 

Coue's Whitetail Deer

Okay.  Breathe in and breathe out.  I can't fix stupid.  But I can escape and connect with nature if I so choose.  And so can many of you.  Until next time....

The Bottom of the Barrel

The endless Arizona Highway

On a road trip to end them all, I sacrificed part of my soul to finish finding the two most difficult birds in our state. It just took an Arizona Big Year contestant, Brian Johnson, to nudge me into chasing the birds:) The Nutting's Flycatcher is probably THE most difficult bird in the state of Arizona. There are only a few of these birds in the state and they look similar to 3 other birds that are all part of the Myiarchus(my-ark-us) genus. And to add to the difficulty level, two of those similar looking species were there in great number along with the Nutting's Flycatcher! Gulls and Terns are EASY compared to these birds!

Roseate Tern

  Today's post title, refers to some of the harder birds that people usually put at the bottom of their life bird list to chase because of their distance, visibility and/or difficulty factor. And who wants to drive 4 hours to just HEAR a bird?! 

Nesting Red-tailed Hawks

The road into the "Nutting's area" is remote and requires a tough vehicle.  So we rented one with high clearance. There was NO cell service.  Water packs had to be used.  AND it was hot in this forgotten world of emerald green vegetation. 

The remote immense jungle off of Planet Ranch Road

The riparian area is beautiful, but it is not for the faint of heart. In fact, not so long ago some birders had to be rescued.  Luckily they found a spot where there was cell phone service.  While we were there, we didn't have any signal at all so they were very lucky! We had to memorize the Nutting's Flycatcher calls and separate the voice from the Ash-throated and Brown-crested Flycatchers.

Following a wash in this remote riparian area

It wasn't a day of art.  It was all about finding these difficult birds. Most of our morning was spent hiking in the heat and shrubbery.  Eventually, we found one bird for sure.  We may have spied a second but the bird flew off before I could get my binos on it. Nor did it call.  Satisfied, we headed back towards the parking area.  BUT where was the parking lot??!!!!

Ash-throated Flycatcher

Thankfully my compadre, Brian, had a compass and we were able to find the mound of vegetation that we had to crawl through to return to our vehicle.  By that time, I had run out of water and needed some shade.  Cold water made me forget the nasty mosquito bites I received all over my legs:)

Western Wood-Pewee

While the Nutting's Flycatcher isn't a popular bird to chase because of its' remote location and difficult ID, it is a bird that many need for their list if they are doing a Big Year(which Brian is doing).  ABA listers also need to chase this bird to stay in the competition. While it wasn't a lifer, it was a new state bird for me. These birds are quite common in Mexico. Like the "Western Flycatchers", the Nutting's is a part of a confusing group of birds that look alike or what scientists call "Cryptic Species".

Left side-Brown-crested Flycatcher(top); Dusky-capped Flycatcher(bottom) Right side-Nutting's Flycatcher(top); Ash-throated Flycatcher(bottom). 

 Most birders cannot just look at the bird and call it.  They have to listen to their calls for the ID. The Nutting's, if it screams, "WHEEEP!", is then an easier bird to ID.  But if it doesn't do that(and it didn't), it can be a bear:)  Anyhow, no more of that business. Again.  

Birding, for me, is not a competition.  It's an art.  The experience behind the bird is as important as the bird itself. My lifer Nutting's will always be in the tropics of Mexico. I'm just thankful I was with Brian during this trek because I wouldn't have done this alone. 

Another headache for some....the "Western" Flycatchers Top:Cordilleran Flycatcher Bottom: Pacific-Slope Flycatcher

I went a tad extreme on this day. Driving the distance we did for the Nutting's Flycatcher was one thing, but to do it again during the same day for a Black Rail was crazy.  But I was sick of making excuses for this bird.  I'm a "rip the band-aid off" kind of person. 

Top from Left to Right: Great-crested Flycatcher; Brown-crested Flycatcher   Bottom from Left to Right: Ash-throated Flycatcher; Dusky-capped Flycatcher(in Guatemala)

The Black Rail is another bird a lot of people put off chasing only because it's mostly a "heard only" bird.  It's easy to hear, but extremely secretive!  That's why I'm calling this lifer a two parter.  While I heard it only in Arizona, I plan on going to Texas to the Anahuac NWR and the Yellow Rail Birding Festival, LA to get photos.

Night Falls over the ag fields in Yuma

But for now, it was a fascinating stop into a buggy area. In the darkness, we heard two of the birds call.  We were bit up during my video recording by hundreds of mosquitoes. This is why my camera is shaky.  

KINGBIRDS!!!!

Birding has its challenges.  On that day, I was once again almost up for 24 hours!  Thankfully Gordon let me crash at his place to get an early start for Lake Havasu.  By the time I returned home to Tucson, it was around 2 AM the next day.  What an exhausting day!

Corvids!

Some of you may ask, "Then why do it?"  I'll be honest.  I'm also fascinated by the birders who go on these chases.  I'm finding as I work with many different people that the birds mean different things to them.  One weekend, they become a number for a fundraising event.  On another weekend, it's about staying number 1 in the state of Arizona.  During another weekend, I find myself up at midnight working with only owls. Another weekend, I chase a rare warbler.  And then there are those who just want to see pretty birds.  And for me, it's about many different things.  Birds=adventures=science=passion=life's greatest journey.

All my photography work is my own EXCEPT for the photo below:)  This Black Rail is a cool bird and one you all need to see a picture of.  Maybe one day I'll have one of my own to share with you all.  For now, I'll share my audio:)

Black Rail from Wikipedia

"Looks like we made it!" through this post:)  To break up the headaches, we were able to see Barry Manilow in concert before he retires!  Cell phone pics are pretty great!

"Looks like we made it!":)

Peña Blanca Lake

Northern Cardinal

Before my trip, I got a little crazy with my time off.  The power of finding the next bird is overwhelming sometimes.  I'm addicted.  Free time=time to bird and hike.

Rock Wren

But there are limitations and sacrifices.  Sleep is one of them.  Heat is the other.  It is super dangerous to go to these canyons or desert areas alone.  Many times, I lose wifi service including my ability to call for back up.  To avoid the heat, I will get up at 4 AM in the morning and get on the road by the time the sun rises.  The birds now call before sun and they are only really active during these first few hours of decent temps.

Rufous-crowned Sparrow

I did have a bit of anxiety on this day.  When there is too much going on, I tend to get antsy.  Do I shop for my trip?  Or do I bird and try to get new species on my list?  The latter question wins and I'm on the road. I absolutely hate shopping of any kind.  So I try to go when people are busy.  It's really a lot like birding.  The earlier you go; the less of a crowd you'll have to deal with:)

Ash-throated Flycatcher

On this day, I had my information all screwed up.  I went to film Canyon Wrens.  I've seen them before but I don't have any great ID shots of them. And again on this day, there were two flying around a rock cliff, but there aren't any photos.  I'm beginning to think there is a conspiracy going on!

Cinnamon Teal photo bombed by a mystery bird

So I went to Peña Blanca Lake.  Alone.  I had been looking for a Least Tern.  So I looked around the lake where terns tend to fly and perch.  I listened for the birds because I know their calls.  And I wasn't hearing anything.

Barn Swallow-not a great pic but I like the outline

By this point, the temps had reached into the mid-90's.  I went into a shaded area and didn't stray too far.  I had limited water.  I forgot to take the water out of Pat's car and put it into mine!  I only realized the fact after I got to my destination.  I went to the public bathroom area to see if I could spot a water fountain, etc but there wasn't anything.  So then I located the few people fishing around the lake in case I needed to call on their help.  This is how my mind works.  I don't care what anyone says, but Arizona can be a dangerous place to bird.  If it's not the heat or the illegal activity around the border, it's the chiggers, monsoon floods, lightning, etc.  Summer is a time to be very very careful here.  Just recently a 21 year old died from heat exhaustion.  He wasn't the first victim nor will he be the last.  We have wonderful and incredible things to see here that will make you fall in love with our state, but be careful during our monsoons and always bring plenty of water with you.  Forget the suntan.  You'll get it whether you like it or not:)

I did have water with me, but I always like having more.  I'm a big guy who drinks more than the average person. Wisconsinites, in general, sweat a lot.  People say it's good to sweat, but I think it to be a pain sometimes.  Our genes overdo it!  Most of us prefer breezes and cool air. Don't ask me why, but that statement is generally true for most of my kind back home:)  Maybe it is for you as well?  And therefore, I must always make sure I bring enough water on these epic treks.  The birds are always incredible.

So back to lack of preparation.  I searched for a Least Tern.  There were none.  I went into the public restroom searching for the reported nesting Canyon Wrens.  They weren't there, but a Barn Swallow shot out from the toilet area and scared me half to death. Maybe I should have knocked?  On my way back to the car, I noticed a Grebe floating around the waters that wasn't a Pied-bill Grebe.  I took shots to study back in my cool and comfortable dining room.  I was sipping my coffee when I finally was able to examine the shot below.  It was one of those "ah-ha!" moments.  For it was not a Least Tern I should have been looking for......but a Least GREBE!  I then went over my other photos and began to laugh.  The bird was present in nearly all of them as if to say, "Hey idiot, LOOK at me! I'm right here.  I'm the one you want!"

Least Grebe

But I was distracted by other birds.  Today I present two happy shots.  One, the Least Grebe, is lifebird 337 for me. And the other is below.  Finally!  The Warbling Vireo has been a difficult one to get shots of, but it was just in reach of my camera lens and that made me smile.  There was a nest and the parents were feeding them. It's a very quick and tiny bird!

Warbling Vireo

Peña Blanca Lake is a real treat to hike and bird.  I pulled out some fish wire from the water though.  I was very upset by some people's lack of respect towards the wildlife in the area.  I nearly cut myself on the fish line, but I got it all out of the water.  Someone used a water bottle as a way to fish from the lake.  It was a makeshift fishing rod which leads me to believe that these may have been illegals crossing through the desert for some food.  Our wildfire season will be coming to an end with the onset of the monsoon rains.  Several fires every year are caused by illegal activity along the border(and also from cigarette butts thrown out of the car).   Whether it is drug trafficking or from people entering the US for work, they have caused some of the worst environmental pollution in our deserts.  Trash is left behind.  Fires are not completely put out causing the wildfires. This last bit is also caused by campers or recreational day users who ignore the rules concerning grilling out.  This year I grieve for the 19 firefighters who have lost their lives near Yarnell. One of the biggest tragedies that come to my mind in recent years.  And safety is a concern, especially early in the morning or late at night, when a lot of birding is done. The lake is situated near the international border between Mexico and the US.  Lock your doors, but also have fun.  And if you can, bring a buddy with you. Please have a safe and happy 4th of July everyone.  And if you're in Arizona be careful with those fireworks.   More to come.....

Truck Stop Hookup

Brewer's Sparrow

What are truck stops really?  Or "Rest areas"? For some people, they are annoying breaks on a long trip. For example, Mom or Dad are driving from Texas with 3 kids.  It's been a grueling 8 hour drive and little Joey "has to use the bathroom".  Their destination is only 20 minutes away but Joey has to stop!  So they do.  Thirty minutes later, the annoyed drivers get back on the highway. So maybe we make a quick stop to walk around, grab a bite to eat, or use the bathroom.  Some people use them to get a little shut eye while others search for love.  Gotta wonder about that last part.  But to bird??? 

Greater Earless Lizard

Kathie suggested we stop and to be honest, I was all for it because it was such a beautiful area to take a little walk.  We hadn't birded together for some time plus I was itchin' to use my Pat's new camera. 

We had discovered so many wonderful birds at this place that we ended spending an hour walking around the parking area! 

House Sparrow screaming for attention!

There were 2 or 3 water treatment areas surrounded by great mesquite trees along with bugs galore and lots of warblers, flycatchers, ducks and other birds to boot!

Ash-throated Flycatcher

Our destination would have to wait as we were inundated by all of these birds.  We both don't mind stopping when there is high activity.

The rest stop is full of scenic rocks that make many people stop to say "oooooo":)

Dusky Flycatcher

On this day, the Dusky Flycatcher would finally make for some great pictures.  Although it did prove difficult at first, I was able to get the ID shots.

The new camera is great in that I can close in at 300 mm and pull back to 28 mm and still keep all the detail in the photos.

Now while we didn't pick up any strange characters at this rest stop, we did pic up great observations on so many things.

Kathie and I worked a mesquite for the Wilson's Warbler. The point to this story?  Truck stops or rest stops make for great birding.   Stay tuned for more.....

Wilson's Warbler

Mallard 5

Turkey Vulture 26

Swainson's Hawk 1

Red-tailed Hawk 2

White-winged Dove 1

White-throated Swift 6

Dusky Flycatcher 2

Ash-throated Flycatcher 1

Cassin's Kingbird 4

Barn Swallow 2

Curve-billed Thrasher 2

Yellow Warbler 1

Yellow-rumped Warbler 5

Wilson's Warbler 1

Chipping Sparrow 2

Brewer's Sparrow 1

Black-headed Grosbeak 2

House Finch 4

House Sparrow 30