My Nomadic Inclinations

Arizona Gray Squirrel

As I hold in a pattern of wait before our next grand adventure, I hang out in my little cubby hole like the Arizona Gray Squirrel above.  

Black-headed Grosbeak

A lot of planning and work is going into the Las Aventuras summer and fall adventures.  Another exciting trek is also getting mapped out into a remote area of the world that many do not explore. There will be birds, culture, tequila and laughter. I look forward to that photo shoot. But for now....

Wild Turkey

Life is short.  One day you're a lizard eating an ant.  The next, you're food for a Mountain Pygmy Owl. 

Mountain Pygmy Owl

As I'm planning and budgeting the money, I'm keeping my birding local.  After all, this is Arizona birding.  There are so many opportunities to witness some of the world's most amazing birds close to home.  So in short, to keep the costs down, I've been birding locally. 

It's rather fun.  My challenge?  To keep my birding skills sharp as a knife.  But the other challenge?  To capture something truly amazing in that one moment.  It's one thing to take a pic of a bird; it's another to capture it doing something interesting. 

Verdin

So what was this weekend's challenge?  Well, it wasn't as exciting as last BUT it was still fun.  Near the White Citadel(San Xavier Del Bac), our group received word of an uncommon Black-bellied Whistling Duck in a mysterious watering hole.  That piqued my interest.  So I headed towards the mines of Moria and the White Citadel near the edges of my Old Pueblo.  And sure enough.....there was water in a great hole in the ground. 

The bird life was incredible.  How long have I lived here and never known about this obscure place?  Well, it's on my radar now.  Mission accomplished....in both senses of the word "mission":)  As I fine tune my Pima County birding, I'm also getting a sense that the regular Pima County birders are doing the same.  We have spread a net over our area and I'm liking the team work going on.  Before it was 2 or 3 birders finding rarities.  Now, it's more like 10 or 12 excellent birders covering the area.  

And quickly from the Tucson garden.  Ever notice white fuzzy spots on your Prickly Pear Cactus?  If the answer is yes, you're hosting the cochineal bug, a scale insect.  While watering my garden this weekend, I noticed that the scale had gotten out of control.

So I took the hose and washed off my cactus pads.  People have asked me if the scale is bad for their cactus.  Most years, it doesn't present a problem but for some reason, this year it has been bad.  We had a wet winter but it was followed by a super hot and dry spring....which allowed for the scale to grow! And it was doing damage.  So I took the hose to it. 

Cochineal Bug...notice the yellow coloring.  Not good.

As the scale washed off, it looked like blood pooling up around the base of the plant. The Cochineal bug plays an important role here in the Old Pueblo.  The native people use this bug to dye their clothes.  Historically, it was also important in the world trade market.  Today, this carmine dye is used primarily as a food colorant.

Last but not least.  Warblers.  This year has been a sensational year for so many warblers in the state of Arizona.  The year isn't over but look who has come to visit over the past several months.  Las Aventuras will continue the search this summer.

Until next time.....

The DeAnza Trail and Beyond!

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks

Santa Cruz county(southern Arizona) this month has been hot and full of new birds!  

Brown-crested Flycatcher

Such locales like Tubac, the DeAnza trail, Tumacacori, the Rio Rico ponds and St. Gertrudis Lane offers people some of the best places to bird watch.

Black Vulture

I had been feeling a bit exhausted from extreme birding several days before and wanted to do a quick run to the Rio Rico Ponds to find the Black-bellied Whistling Ducks(below).  I had seen the bird before, but it would be a lifebird for me on Ebird.  Part of me was thrilled to see these birds in their natural habitat, but another part was more interested in the drive, good music, and an easy lifebird.

Of course, the minute I got out of car along side the road, the skies exploded with Black Vultures.  What should have been an easy morning getting a lifebird turned into......."What else is out here?"  My curiosity took over and I began to hike along the DeAnza trail.

I left the Rio Rico ponds and headed to the nearby St. Gertrudis Lane.  Birders are allowed to walk this gravel road but not drive.  So don't drive.  Plus if one could drive, they'd miss out on all the fun birds along the road.

Female Vermilion Flycatcher

As I walked down the road, I found myself entering a gate to walk the DeAnza trail.  There were too many birds calling and I forgot about where I was.  There was a particular bird of great interest....a Juvenile Gray Hawk!

Juvenile Gray Hawk

I didn't walk too far, but I did have a lovely stroll within the area.  By 11 AM, I was back home in my pj's for the rest of the day!

There's so much out there to see.  Life is thrilling.  The heat of our desert summer, however, sucks:) A fun nerdy post coming up next week.

"Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks" J.R.R. Tolkien