Every weekend brings a new challenge. The question is, "What bird will it be?"
Water flows in every wash around Southern Arizona
This weekend, Gordon attempted to help friend Joe find his nemesis bird, the Elegant Trogon. I joined up with them to see if we could do the impossible. Several weeks ago I posted our finds at Patagonia Lake. Unfortunately, we were not able to relocate the male this time. Our theory is that the bird is now in a more remote area around the lake away from the birding trail.
a rare Winter Wren at Patagonia Lake
So we headed to the remote Florida Canyon of the Santa Rita mountains. There had been a female Trogon recently reported....but we missed the window. Trogons can be very tricky. They are active in the morning and later take a siesta somewhere in the deep shadows during the afternoon.
A Black-capped Gnatcatcher-a bird people from all over the US come to find
While most of the country is still freezing, Arizona is enjoying warmer than average temps. On our day out, the temps went from a cold 32 degrees in the morning to a warm 80 by mid afternoon. While that sounds nice for most people, I'm not most people. I get enough heat from our summer months to last me the year. It would be nice to have a longer and cooler winter this year:)
The beautiful and remote Florida Canyon
In the photo above, you'll see the space between the riparian corridor and desert scrub. It's a natural border that can attract two different groups of birds. Those from the desert and those who require trees and water.
An Orange-crowned Warbler
As the day progressed, I switched from my pants to shorts. I did the same with my shoes but forgot that my "shorts" shoes didn't have any grips on them!
The moon over Florida Canyon
The snow melt from the mountains has every wash flowing right now in the Santa Rita mountains. It's really quite beautiful.
the Inca Dove of the Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon
Normally, the streams flow with a slow and steady trickle. But not on this day! We crossed several ice cold streams balancing ourselves on the rocks while trying to keep our equipment dry from the splashing water. I did well for the most part until a rock gave out from under my foot......and then it was SPLUNK!
the dam at Florida is flowing
We hiked up the canyon wall, or at least Gordon and Joe did. I hiked up the steep trail realizing after the fact that I didn't have any grips on my shoes! So I naturally let them go ahead of me. Me on the other hand? Well I slowly inched my way down.....until I slipped and fell on my padded rear! This was also the same place that my friend Kathie almost fell. So if you go to Florida Canyon, home of the rare Rufous-capped Warblers and Black-capped Gnatcatchers, bring lots of water, good hiking shoes and a friend. It's remote!
Wild Turkey(the tom)
I continued on my own the following day looking for a rare Brown Thrasher. I did find the bird but it's a skulker and these were the looks I had of it(below). This is birding. Sometimes you have incredible views and sometimes you have views like the ones below or worse!
a skulky Brown Thrasher
As I was attempting rare bird number 2, I ran into a group of Javelina blocking me on the trail. One of them made the attack posture and I said, "That's ok." I slowly headed back to my car and called it a day. Laundry needed to get done.
Javelina stop me in my tracks.
There are so many choices right now in the state of Arizona that a birder has to pick and choose their battles. Watch the incredible flight of the wintering Sandhill Cranes at Wilcox Lake or find a rare Sprague's Pipit in the ag fields of the Santa Cruz Flats. So many choices. So many birds.
Bridled Titmouse
Arizona is a big place. Where will our adventures take us next week? Until next time.....
On a beautiful and relaxing weekend out, we went searching for 2 new birds to add to the Arizona State list. It was cold and it felt good to be on the trails again for long periods of time.
White-faced Ibis
Our first count happened at Patagonia Lake State Park for the rare(to the US) Green Kingfisher. It's a pretty bird that happened to be hanging out in a beautiful location.
The waterways of Patagonia
These past two months close to home have been fun for me because the riparian corridors in Southern Arizona have been really exciting to explore. And it seems like the birding trend has been for birders to explore these spaces more. The weather was perfect and the bird finds were fantastic.
Bewick's Wren
Besides all the regulars we get, we had a whopping 10 rare species show up on our count over a 5 hour time period! Yes. We were on the trails for 5 hours because the weather was SO nice.
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
We also went to help out with the CBC counts down in Patagonia. I didn't sign up at all because I couldn't commit to the dates. Originally we were supposed to go up to Mt. Lemmon but a snow storm hit the mountain and made it difficult for us to help that CBC count. My car is a simple one. She's not rough or rugged like other birder cars.
While we were down there, we were able to relocate the Green Kingfisher and help the crew find some new species to add to their counts.
Hutton's Vireo
The photo of the Green Kingfisher below is a stock photo of the many we have seen down in Mexico. It's a very pretty bird.
As we were finishing up our counts, we saw a gull fly towards us. Gulls in Arizona are fun because we obviously don't get to see them often in the desert. But a Pacific Storm had rolled through the area bringing with it a Pacific Loon(expected rarity during this time of year) and a California Gull.
California Gull at sunset
People had said there were Ring-billed Gulls in the area so I had expected to see this more common gull. Then I saw the red dip on the lower bill and I knew we had a California Gull. Again this bird isn't unexpected, but it does show up as rare. Patagonia State Park is expensive and the 20 dollar entrance fee is too much. Unfortunately, this will be our last trip there until that fee comes down. However, we had an amazing day out finding at least 77 species of birds. Here is our count.
Cackling Goose
As Sunday arrived, I had one more bird I needed for my AZ state list, the Long-tailed Duck. It's a crazy bird for our state. They do show up from time to time in December. A couple years ago, one showed up on Christmas Day and then disappeared shortly afterwards. For those who could break away from the Christmas formalities, it was a gift.
Hammond's Flycatcher
So when this one showed up a week ago, I thought it wouldn't stick around for the weekend. Then it did. And that's when I made the decision to go.
Northern Cardinal
However, this location, the Glendale Recharge Ponds, is not so pretty and not really so much fun to explore. You just show up and look at the basins to count birds that are usually too far out to see without a scope.
Pyrrhuloxia
When a birder arrives at this location, they are greeted by lots of graffiti. I've been told that some people have had things stolen or worse. Just recently, a man hung himself from the bridge. There was an altar to remember him as we parked our car at the "entrance".
The canals of Glendale Recharge Ponds
I called my friend Gordon on a whim to see what he was doing and he's like....yeah, let's go birding! That was awesome. Even though he had seen the bird, he wanted to go out and bird for awhile. Plus, he is a master of kung fu and jujutsu. So he warded off the bad people as we scoured the ponds for the Long-tailed Duck. While we were there, we witnessed a lot of poaching along the canal. Several people were collecting fish illegally. When we moved to their location, they moved away but not without collecting several buckets of fish. So here is my advice for this popular birding spot. If you are visiting, go during the day and with a friend. Many locals go alone but only because they are familiar with the area.
Long-tailed Duck
Coming up next week, Las Aventuras hits the road once again to find new birds. I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. Until next week.......
The beauty that comes from both nature and birds is so exciting for me. It inspires art.
Lazuli Bunting
This was a lazy outing after several hikes. I popped open a bag of my favorite cheesy ruffled potato chips and sat on the ground near the feeders and watched the bird show for over an hour. The indigo blues of the migrating Lazuli Buntings mesmerized!
It's that time of year in the desert when many of our "flashier" and "colorful" birds return to Arizona. Our wildflower and cacti show also delights with its subtle yet bright colors.
Globemallow
Birds actively collect nesting material OR feed their young.
nesting male Black-capped Gnatcatcher
The birds are very vocal. Take for example this nesting Black-capped Gnatcatcher(above) and Northern Beardless Tyrannulet(below). While on the trails, they could be heard rather easily as they noisily flew from one bush to the other.
Northern Beardless Tyrannulet
It's an amazing time of year for so many things.
As my work winds down, I prepare for bigger things. Some nights, I just go birding alone to relax my mind.
Lesser Nighthawk
Sometimes, it's about studying several birds better that I don't always get to see. The Vaux's Swifts are a first for my photo collection at Las Aventuras. Swifts are difficult to get on camera. The sun was setting quickly and I had a few moments to get these next two shots.
Vaux's Swift-the cigar with wings
Sometimes, like in this case here, you get one shot. As the sun was setting, I knew I had just a minute to get these birds on camera. Observation time for this bird was less than a minute!! I watched the skies for 45 minutes observing hundreds of swallows buzz around quickly. During this time, I was searching for a different flight pattern to help me lock onto at least one bird.
Then I saw something that looked like a bat flying but as it banked to the side, I knew I had my swift.
As the sun set, I planned for the next day.
Green-tailed Towhee
It's always fun to go somewhere new and look for wonderful birds.
Lark Sparrow
Because during spring migration, anything and everything is possible! You can find lots of exciting birds in your local parks, at your work site, etc.
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
For all you Eastern birders, why aren't you checking out those trees for those amazing migrating warblers? It's May my friends:) Get ready! They are about to come through your area if they haven't started already! For me? Well, I'm keeping my eyes open down here for something rare:) Until next time.....
Pima County, Arizona is an amazing place to bird. It's one of the birdiest areas of the US! Thanks to our mountain, canyon, grassland and desert habitat, it's home to so many wonderful critters.
Yesterday was an important day for me as I hit the 300 species mark in Pima County. A rare Least Tern flew into Sweetwater Wetlands helping me achieve this unintended goal. The highest species count for Pima County is 445 birds. Here is a look back at some of the gems discovered around Tucson and surrounding areas.
Black-capped Gnatcatcher on Proctor Road Pima County has a special group of birds that most birders need on their lists. Eventually they have to make their way to Southern Arizona:) It's amazing how many people just care about getting these birds on their US list. And then there is that ABA list! If they aren't on the ABA list, it's not important. I don't get that thinking. I understand it, but I'm not the kind of person that likes having someone tell me whether or not a bird "counts". All birds matter! Either way, these two birds are countable and very much desired! I had seen both of these birds in other countries first. Later, I added them onto my US list.
Rufous-capped Warbler at Florida Canyon
Articles have been written on both of the Black-capped Gnatcatchers and Rufous-capped Warblers. Thanks to global warming, these birds are beginning to expand their range.
Sage Thrasher It's always a treat to find birds migrating through our various areas like the Sage Thrasher(above). A central to lower US state bird, the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, erased my terrible day woes last year as it flew right past me at Sweetwater Wetlands! It perched on a branch for a few moments reminding me that work is just work. Life is more important. While work is important, it doesn't define who I am. I am more.
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher I think I can speak for most birders this year on these birds below. Trumpeter Swans flew into the Sweetwater Wetlands shocking the local birding establishments! People wet their pants and dropped whatever they were doing and ran to Sweetwater! I'm serious. I'm going to write something here that speaks volumes about us. We could be in the most serious conversations. Maybe we are signing divorce papers, attending a funeral, etc. But mention a rare bird and watch your birder friends secretly slip out the door:) These incredible swans stuck around for the day allowing many birders to join together on this unofficial holiday. They were one day wonders! And I would say that these two swans have been the best birds so far in Pima County this year.
Trumpeter Swans at Sweetwater Another excellent bird for us this year has been the Heerman's Gull. There have been several sightings over the past several months! This is a pretty cool gull and a bird I hadn't thought I'd add to my Pima list anytime soon! They are found along the coasts of Southern California and Mexico. It's a pretty sexy gull and an easy ID for people who aren't great with gull ID.
Heerman's Gull
One of my favorite birds is the Common Loon. Never in a million years when I first started birding did I think Tucson could have visiting Loons. As a young child growing up around Wisconsin and Minnesota, I remember their magical calls. An all-time favorite movie, On Golden Pond, always comes to mind when I see one of these majestic birds.
Common Loon
So here's a weird one. The Black Scoter. On a cloudy and rainy day, a massive storm front delivered a Black Scoter to the Old Pueblo! There, for several months in a random deep pond, a female scoter hung out. An ocean bird in the desert!
Black Scoter Other shockers included this Juvenile Tricolored Heron on a golf course.
juvenile Tricolored Heron Or this random Whimbrel in the middle of the desert. And just for fun, it hung out with a Long-billed Curlew to mess with birders:)
Whimbrel Other birds, like this Barn Owl, are sometimes hard to come by! What a treat to have seen one here within the Tucson limits! Again I don't advertise their locations as there are a few photographers who who will cross unethical lines. Since when is a picture more important than the welfare of our birds? One of the tenants of a good birder is to never intentionally disturb a bird out in the field. If I see them eating or nesting, I keep my distance. I have met several birders/photographers in the field who bait their birds(i.e. hawks, etc) for a better photo. Or they cut a branch down to get that "annoying" thing out of the way.....for a better photo. This is unethical. And that is why this particular Barn Owl left the tree. Thanks to some crazy owl fanatic who decided to cut down a couple branches, this Barn Owl didn't return to that spot.
Barn Owl at Sweetwater Mt. Lemmon is a prime location for finding nesting Red-faced and Olive Warblers during our summer months!
Red-faced Warbler
Once birders believed that Elegant Trogons(below) could not be found in Pima County. Then last year, the infamous Florida Canyon sported a pair. And they were in Pima County. This year they are still there!
During my beginning days as a birder, I went to see the visiting Brown Pelican during our monsoon at a nearby park. I was hot and sweaty, but I sure enjoyed viewing this pelican. During monsoon, it's common to have a Brown Pelican or two blown into the deserts. Many times they are rescued and taken back to San Diego, CA. A small few have remained and can be found up around the Phoenix area. Pelicans in the desert.
Brown Pelican
Finally, several years ago, a Groove-billed Ani came to the Sweetwater Wetlands and got me excited. I love Spanish and the tropics! Nothing says tropical like an Ani! I fell in love with this bird so much, I went back several times to observe it. This is one of my top ten favorite birds...for now:) The Audubon guide who discovered this bird flipped out! And this bird put Tucson on the US map for a week!
Groove-billed Ani
As you can see, birding within your own area can be fun and exciting. It's a challenge like everything else, but all these
birds add up over time. Have you tried birding within your own county? If so, what were some of the cool birds you've discovered?
Black-bellied Whistling Duck
I have several key trips planned this year that
will hopefully propel me towards the 800 life bird mark. In June, I
celebrate my 4th year as a birder. This life journey continues to
change me forever. We'll be heading out of Arizona to several states
this summer while also traveling to Southern Mexico.
On a whim, I followed a theory and discovered a 2nd tern on my own in the city of Tucson! That was a bonus! Here it is flying about at Lakeside Park. Pretty cool!
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