Endless Days; Sleepless Nights

Before I begin with this week's chapter, I'd like to mention that blogger is having issues with pictures.  I wasn't sure I was going to post this week.  And I'm not the only one with the prohibited sign for several pics.  It appears my cell phone, scenic/people shots were blocked but my camera photos were not. So you'll see my wildlife discoveries from this past week. Blogger is aware of the problem and they are working on the issue.  Now let's get started with this week. 

Heermann's Gull makes a day appearance at a local pond in Pima County

Are you feeling like the title of this blog post? Everyone asks, "How are you doing?"  I don't know.  Everything is an endless haze.  Even the birding is mundane.  Ohhhh, I like the walks with friends or alone, but it feels like I've been there and done that over and over again.  I run the race but it feels robotic and empty.  I am very close to throwing in the towel and grabbing my keys and laptop while taking my work with me along the coast. 

I like this gray and detailed throne of the Greater Pewee.  They are all vocalizing right now which is absolutely beautiful

I still enjoy the birds, but it's not the same as researching a new area full of new challenges.  I have my projects.  And they look good.  I wake up.  Read emails.  Go for a walk and pick up new birds for the year in Pima County. Sometimes I walk.  Sometimes I drive.  I come home.  Check emails.  Work on the house project, putting ceiling tiles up.  Then I go outside and water my garden and feed my birds.  I watch TV for an hour and respond to students.  Then I go to bed and do it all over again. Just like everyone else reading this.  I don't even know what day it is unless I am given a task. 

Bushtits feed along a creek on Mt. Lemmon

Rarities show up.  I chase and snap a pic.  Tucson Audubon had me do a count around Reid Park which was fun.  Finally I felt like I had a real task for the day!

Anna's Hummingbird monitors my count at Reid Park

A zip code next to ours is now a new hotspot in the city for the Covid-19 virus.  I'm wondering if another nursing home was hit.  This virus is taking out these retirement communities!  And as you may or may not know, Arizona is one of the top retirement states in the US.  So while I was doing my count at Reid Park(that's in the area), I was very careful keeping my distance from people.  A police officer monitored the park for social distancing. 

Zebra-tailed Lizard

Some golf courses are vacant which is awesome!  I can now walk to the ponds where there's usually something amazing hiding in the reeds, like the Solitary Sandpiper below. 

A really cool Solitary Sandpiper hides in the reeds on a vacant golf course.

Everyone checks the few and random watering holes around town hoping for something rare to show up.  It's our highlight for the day.

OMG!  Yappy Black-necked Stilts warn me to stay back, even though there's a fence between us and that I'm some distance away from the fence.  Good gods!

Mental health is important, but this caged bird is ready to fly.  While the cases continue to rise in the US, people are beginning to lose their minds and protest.  Not saying I'd do this, but if I had covid, I'd go to the protests wearing a red hat wrapped in an American flag coughing all over everyone. My best advice is to stay away from people everywhere.  Stick to the birds. These are interesting times for sure.  Stay well and hope you are finding things to keep your minds active, like birding:)  Until next time.....

A Pink Martini

Black-necked Stilts

Craving something sweet, I went shopping at the outdoor market.

Buenos Aires Wildlife Refuge

So much eye candy everywhere.

Brewer's Sparrow

And it was cool and breezy!

The nice temps encouraged me to explore more.

Common ground-dove

It was nice to be able to linger around and look at things.

Giant Mesquite Bugs

In fact, the weather was SO nice that I didn't feel like rushing home right away. 

Lark Sparrow

It was hard to remember why I came to the outdoor market in the first place.

Wilson's Warbler

Keep her moving.

Clay-colored Sparrow

I went down the martini aisle.  I mean.....it looked right.

There's nothing better than a pink martini.  But it's all about getting the balance right and choosing a good vodka.

Swaison's Hawk

Most martinis are dry but this one had to be sweet.

As I walked further down the liquor aisle, I spotted my Triple Sec.  Now for the cranberry juice....

One. Two. Three shakes and voila!

Roseate Spoonbills

Pink Martini made.  So glad I went to the market!

Nothing better than a cool pink drink to celebrate the beginning of fall weather. 

The Roseate Spoonbills are rare for the state of Arizona.  For more on the birds discovered on this day in the Buenos Aires Wildlife Refuge, click here.  Until next time.....

Close Inspections

I found a magical fairy village in the middle of the woods!

August is a whole month of crazy.  Monsoon is in full swing and so is migration.  It's the one time of year when everything all comes together.  But the temps are brutal in the desert and surrounding areas. 

Enjoying the cool breeze of a monsoon storm in Sierra Vista along the San Pedro River

And it is during this time of year that I collect my data for migrating warblers, shorebirds and birds listed as endangered or in decline.  Did they nest?  Are there juveniles? Are there more or less of these birds coming through the area right now?  After chasing life birds in Chiapas, I just felt I needed to connect more with "my birds" and do quality study. 

The monsoon clouds build over Cochise Lake in Wilcox

While I love the grasslands, I'm not a huge fan of the chiggers and bugs.  Right around the first couple weeks of August, we hit the peak season of monsoon.  It's during this time of year we begin to see some early migrants passing through our area while also observing difficult birds, like the Cassin's Sparrow, out in the open doing their "larking display".  There isn't a certain date for this peak.  It's just something I feel out each year.  Each weekend during the month of August, I carefully pick the spots to do my studies.  In this post, we stopped at the Wilcox Lake for migrating shorebirds, Mt. Lemmon for warblers, St. David for nesting Yellow-billed Cuckoos, and my work site in Oro Valley(weekly patch study) for the nesting Purple Martins specific to our Sonoran Desert.  It has been a quality month of research and birding.  None of it is boring.  The hikes are incredible and the treks are some of the most scenic on this planet. 

Black-necked Stilts

We headed down to Wilcox and explored "Cochise Lake" first.  We picked up two Stilt Sandpipers, one Semipalmated Plover and Sandpiper.  While these birds were wonderful to spot, our best observation happened with a cranky Northern Mockingbird and Swainson's Hawk. 

A Northern Mockingbird chases a Swainson's Hawk off the post.  That takes some huevos. 

After awhile, we headed out because it looked like it was going to rain in the area.  

Black-tailed Jackalope Jackrabbit:)

I wanted to check up on our now fledged Mississippi Kites, Yellow-billed Cuckoos and Yellow-breasted Chats.  Along the way, we observed lots of great birds around the countryside. 

White-winged Dove perches on an Ocotillo

We'd stop and look and then move onto the next area. 

A male Northern Cardinal sits on top of a Saguaro.  Talk about a strange sight!

After a summer of chasing crazy new birds in Mexico, I was happy to just stand in MY world with MY birds and let them fly around me.  I know this world best.  Every habitat.  And almost every bird.  It's great.  They are my secrets.  My escape. It is very comforting to know that many made it back in one piece.

Gila Woodpeckers are LOVING the sugar water right now.  Sorry hummingbirds!

The Gila Woodpeckers fought the hummingbirds for nectar. 

Spiders hid on leaves.  And chats.....did a lot of chatting:)

Yellow-breasted Chat

I went to St. David and followed up on the Cuckoos and Kites.

A Yellow-billed Cuckoo flies over my head.  I have a special connection with this bird as it followed me around last year in the trees:)  And it was back again in the same area where we hung out for awhile watching each other.  

Thankfully, they were all there safe and sound.

Here's my friend who is still around

Currently the western variety of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo is in danger. It is listed as threatened and near the threshold of endangered. Tucson Audubon currently has surveys going on around their nesting areas in Southern Arizona.  They are collecting data about this declining species so that they can designate areas for their protection. "The loss and degradation of native riparian habitat throughout the western Yellow-billed Cuckoo's range has played a major role in the bird's decline"(source)

Back at my work site, I do a weekly survey of the birds found around the campus.  The Purple Martins were concerning for me because they are clear cutting major areas of desert next to the school and wash.  Normally, I see these birds before school is out but I hadn't seen them before summer break.  However, I was SO happy when I discovered this desert subspecies flying around the Saguaro cactus at the start of our new school year.

I don't know how they did it with all the chaos around them but they raised another wonderful family.  They had 3 young at the time but have now begun their migration.  I hope they return next year.  It's crazy how connected I have become with my local birds.

Black-crowned Night Heron

On a particularly hot day, I wanted to bird but not far from home.  So I went to my other regular patch at a nearby park to count the juvenile Black-crowned Night Herons.  The Herons have had a good year!  4 juveniles were seen on this 100+ degree evening.

The heat can be intense!  Thankfully warbler migration begins on top of Mt. Lemmon in August and this is where I'll finish my reporting.

Townsend's Warbler

It was hot in Tucson at around 113 degrees.  Mt. Lemmon was sunny with a slight breeze in the 80's.  This was a no brainer.

On this beautiful day, we had 11 of the 13 warbler species on the mountain.  The Wilson's, Townsend'ss and Hermit warblers were AMAZING!  It was a successful outing indeed!

Wilson's Warbler

Warblers are pretty cool birds.  Yes, they are difficult to see, but they are little gems that dance underneath the shadows of leaves. 

Hermit Warbler in flight

Overall, it has been a great month out and the data collected was a success.  I realize not all years will have such positive reports but this one was one of the best thanks to lots of wonderful rain.

Birding can be quite meaningful. With this collection of data, I become stronger and better at being not just a birder but a true citizen scientist.  

Over the next two weeks, we'll meet new friends on the trails.  Las Aventuras is about to begin Chapter 3 of "Americano".  Stay tuned for more friends:)