Inside The Eye Of My Hurricane

 

I'm still here.  I'm still alive.  Just took a break from Las Aventuras for awhile. 

There's a sharper edge.  A sense of direction.  A sense of hope.  It's the final release of dead weight mentally and physically.  

My tolerance is very limited.  In some ways, I feel like a roadrunner.  Like the roadrunner, one moment I'm happy and content to look around the area. The next, I'm a deadly assassin. These are my emotions. After the election, I thought they'd go away.  They only intensified after the insurrection and that's when I snapped. Between covid and stupidity, I was done with them all. 

Hope is on the horizon and it gets better every day.  For now I keep myself physically and mentally busy with planning, projects, surveys and work. 

Over the past several months, I have been out guiding people helping them find their birds.  Sometimes I enjoy the quiet hike.  When covid lifted ever so slightly, everything came back and blew the lid off the cover.  I wasn't prepared for that scene.  Everything that was cancelled last year was back on again. And then some.  

Every month is booked with something crazy.  Fun.  But crazy.  I won't go into details.  Things will eventually calm down towards the end of the year, but for now, I am in the middle of a hurricane waiting for the winds to pick me up and throw me out into the larger world. 

Life is complicated. These last 4 years in the US have taken a toll on my health and on several relationships.  I didn't feel like writing for many months.  I was going through some sort of stupid depression. 

In a trek to Texas back in February, we went to find several birds along the border. We added several new lifers like the Crimson-collared Grosbeak at Resaca De La Palma State Park, the Long-billed Thrasher, Audubon's Oriole and White-tailed Hawk. 

It was fun revisiting other species as well like the above Common Pauraque and below, the Green Jay.

We even had a fun adventure in Brownsville searching for a rare Golden-crowned Warbler(below) inside a zoo.  What a trek!  

It was fun to get out of town with a friend searching for new birds.  We both were vaccinated but it didn't feel safe to fly.  So I drove the USS Betty White.  

We stayed in McAllen and visited places like Estero Llano, the Brownsville Zoo, South Padre Island and Bentsen State Park. 

Our searches happened after the big freeze in Texas.  Normally the tropically humid and lush Estero Llano was cold and barren as seen in the picture below. 

This was a small taste of what is yet to come. The adventures are big and the world life list will hopefully grow again as I travel the world on several big bird missions for this year. I got a lot of emails from you all wondering where I was.  I'm here, just took a break. Thank you for following Las Aventuras and caring!

Until next time.....

Red For Ed Part One

March and April have been two extreme months of highs and lows.  I'm glad the month is over, but not without great cost. 

During these past 2 weeks, Arizona teachers have walked out in the thousands to speak up for students, teachers, support staff and school funding. These are difficult times for many people.  With 150,000 teachers walking out of the classroom, most schools have shut down across the state.  It is a historical moment. 

Some districts fully supported their teachers while other districts pretended to wear the red shirt. But when push came to shove, they were forced into making decisions they were not ready to make. Some districts even threatened their teachers! And yes, I joined the thousands of teachers, students, and parents and walked to the capital.  And during that time, I also did our yearly fund raising campaign for Tucson Audubon's Birdathon AND guiding!  Yeah, it was crazy switching from one thing to another.  There are too many stories to be told and I cannot share it all in one post.  

Currently we wait for the Governor's announcement for how he will fix this educational financial crisis.  If it goes south tonight, I don't know what will happen.  I'm hoping it ends soon because I need to be in the classroom with my students!  Arizona ranks 49 in educational funding and falls way below the national average for teacher pay and student funding.  I can tell you that it has gotten worse.  It's hard to find anyone who wants to teach anymore in this state.  Most of my friends have left the profession for better paying jobs.  Who will teach our kids if we can't find qualified people?  Oh and there are many shades of red to Arizona education, but I don't want to bore you anymore than I already have.  

I will just say that this is such a challenging time.  There are nights I don't sleep.  We are all stressed out but we can't live like this anymore. Enough is enough.  

As the weekend approached, I eagerly looked forward to meeting up with Steve and Kathy to help them find some amazing birds that they can brag about back home when they finish up their vacation here.  And it was an intensely fun weekend chasing crazy birds like the Sinaloa Wren, Rufous-backed Robins and Rose-throated Becards. 

We found the Sinaloa Wren skulking in the shadows along the stream of a SECOND nest!  Apparently the male builds more than one nest to attract a female.  

We were lucky and found all three species but it took time and some hiking to get to them in the extreme Arizona heat. 

Together we found amazing birds like the Hermit Warbler above and the.....

......western subspecies of the Warbling Vireo.....

.....a cool looking Abert's Squirrel......

......gorgeous views of the Black-headed Grosbeak......

......and amazing views of the often secretive Spotted Towhee.......

.....and finally seeing the beautiful blues of the Steller's Jays who happened to be mimicking hawk calls while we were there. Then it was over. 

And we were back in the 100 degree temps fighting for public education. 

Life is always interesting.  And it has been a roller coaster for me.  We manage our finances well but these past days have put us to the test.  It's hard not to think about things.  Do I sign my contract or walk away from the job?  If I don't sign my contract, I'm done.  The angry side says walk away, but the rational part of me says stay and fight the good fight.  

Our birdathon was only a few days away and just thinking about it sapped the energy out of me.  

We are all fighting for a good cause.  Change is not overnight.  Whatever the verdict is, Arizona teachers, both Republicans and Democrats, united together to fight the fight.  

And while I would much rather cross sketchy bridges with awesome people searching for our amazing Arizona birds, 

...it is teaching that brought me to this place in my life.  And no matter what, I am an educator at heart whether it be in the classroom or outdoors. 

I will fight to protect the wild spaces of our planet and I will fight to protect public education because I am a teacher.  This is what I do. 

Next week, we'll finish up with part 2 of this series.  We'll find out what the Wrenegades were up to, what Governor Ducey decided and I'll share with you our discoveries.  It includes a letter, the Butcher, and Raccoon Bob.  Please keep the Arizona teachers in your thoughts, until next time.....

My Reflection

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

After our exciting day out looking for the special Mexican rarities, I took a bus out of Mexico City to my village Chiautempan, Tlaxcala. It had been 9 years since the last visit. It had been too long.

Nashville Warbler

At this point in the trek, I had two objectives.  1) See my dear family and 2) add data lacking in ebird to the Tlaxcala area.  It was here that I was back again doing my solo work. This kind of work has the most meaning for me. 

30 years ago and today

Before I was a birder, I was an explorer.  As a child growing up in Wisconsin, I had always felt the strong pull towards Mexico and the Southwest of the US.  Nearly 30 years ago, I began my journey into unknown worlds and met a woman who would change my life forever. I had been lost, not understanding my purpose in life.  When I met her, everything about my world changed. 

Year after year, I would visit this extended family.  I felt spiritually connected to them ever since our first days together.  I was their "güero" and they were my Mexican family.  They asked me what took me so long to return and visit.  And I couldn't answer their questions right away.  I bought a house, got married, began birding and had family obligations in Wisconsin.  There's simply not enough time in this life to do everything.  

But when I was home in Tlaxcala again, I felt at peace and happy.  Writing these things makes me tear up.  I feel emotions when I am here in this sacred place.  Every time I arrive to my small little town, I choose to walk the streets alone to my Mom's house so that I can breathe the air, watch the people and hear the Spanish.

Our first night together

We have all changed getting older, but what hasn't changed is the love that is expressed to one another in this family.  I am lucky to have two wonderful families.  Dreams lead me to this sacred town as a young man looking for his place in this world.  He was so innocent and naive then. 

Rare in Arizona but very common in Mexico, the Rufous-backed Robin

As we get older, life changes. Now I am a birder. There was barely any data in my town from ebird.  So I pieced together data and mapped out areas to bird.  Together we explored these areas as a family.  It was very personal and special. 

Vegetables......

Between meals and coffees, I sought areas that held birds of interest while collecting data for ebird.  My research and exploration paid off and I was able to add good data to the area about several theories I had. 

My lifer, the skulky Blue Mockingbird

Sometimes I went alone for a detailed study.  And for others, I explored with my family.  They discovered that several areas were quite active.  The lagoons of Acuitlapilco were alive with life. 

The once active volcano of Malinche.  The forests are magical and untouched!

Over the several days there, my awesome sister set up a special trek into the forests on the dormant volcano Malinche with a crew of people. I was able to access a restricted part of the volcano and do a bird survey there. There will be a special post on that trek. 

Cattle Egret at sunset

The heart of all things is family.  I love Mexico. Everything happens for a reason. If we listen to our hearts, we'll accomplish anything. It's okay to be afraid of the unknown. Twice now I have been in the deep parts of Mexico over the past 6 months.  And twice now I have been given insight. I was just a young teenager when I first came to Tlaxcala. I was a kid about to graduate from high school. In Cabo, I saw a reflection of my younger self on board a ship. During this trip, I saw my youngest self staring back at me. Perhaps a sign from something greater, I was meant to see my past mirrored right before my very eyes. 

What a special night with everyone

During this very special night, several high schoolers from the Midwest of the US were invited to our pozole dinner.  There was a young man, in the lower left side of the pic below, who was staying with one of the family's relatives for a homestay.  I looked into his lost eyes with that wide innocent smile and saw myself from 30 years ago sitting on that couch. The poor soul didn't understand a word of Spanish and it was at that moment that I had realized that I had come a long way in my journey. Was I really that innocent?  That young? I was so open to learning and like a sponge, I was ready to absorb every bit of life experience.

Happy moments for a very special night

Perhaps, Mexico is, in a sense, my church. This place makes me feel an abundance of emotion. Our trip to Cabo in October had the same affect on me. Even shopping for vegetables makes me happy. I feel LIFE pulse through my body here.  Why?  How is that possible?

Black-headed Grosbeaks are a permanent resident in Central Mexico

And on this trip, I found purpose.  I could make a difference here and give back to Mexico as the country had done for me. I could help educate and protect the birds of this area while teaching the public about wildlife conservation. It was a strong feeling. So much work needs to be done here and I could be that change. It's not something I can do overnight but I saw opportunity. 

White-collared Seedeater(Cinnamon-bellied subspecies)

I can't wait another 9 years to visit.  That was too long.  I feel like I have lived here in another lifetime and living and breathing in this region of Mexico is like slipping into a comfortable pair of shoes. 

Tlaxcala holds a place in my heart.  The birding here held meaning. On our last day, we headed up to the magical Malinche for one last familial trek. If you visit Tlaxcala, here are several reports from several key and excellent birding hotspots. 
For the Jardín Botánico de Tizatlán, click here and here.
For the Laguna de Acuitlapilco, click here.   
For the Tlaxcalan Zoo, click here.