Keeping Hope Alive

A covey of Gambel's Quail

A week went by and I sat behind my desk.  I did my lectures, graded papers and kept thinking about the White-eyed Vireo. It's what any normal middle aged person does, right?:) And then there was THAT report. Trapped behind a desk, I kept muttering the words "purple" over and over. So what could be worse than dipping on a vireo? How about reading a report stating that there was also a Purple Gallinule hiding in the reeds around the same area of the vireo??!!!  This was indeed a RARE bird alert!  But would it stick around the entire week?

After school was out, I went to several places in Tucson and just let my mind unwind.  I'm not sure if it's the stress or the heat, but these days, this birder struggles to maintain his sanity.  Our neighbor was placed into a jail where he should be left for a long time. But we know he'll be back. I've never seen so many people show up at one of these HOA functions! After it was all done, our community developed an action plan against this dangerous man. It has been both mentally and physically exhausting for all the residents here.  But I will not let this all interfere with my passion for the outdoors.  And during a moment of quiet solitude at Sweetwater, a covey of 20 Gambel's Quail surrounded me. 

They scurried around me feeding underneath the mesquite trees. We all spent a moment together in harmony. At one point, I just put the camera down and took it all in.

Granite Basin Lake

Come to find out, I wasn't the only one with the vireo flying around inside my head. Apparently Magill was in the same mind frame.  We are cheeseheads and very stubborn.  So we went back to the Granite Basin Lake in Prescott for both the White-eyed Vireo and Purple Gallinule.  This time, we would not dip. And for the records, there is only one version of "dip" that is good and it involves food. 

A VERY Green Heron

 I moseyed my way up to Phoenix stopping in Chandler to find an American Bittern.  But I ended up watching all the other birds instead!  There were so many flying around the riparian areas of this park.  The Yellow-headed Blackbirds are back and I ended up observing them instead of chasing a rare bird. 

Black-tailed Jackrabbit

There were Black-tailed Jackrabbits everywhere along the path and it was so much fun to observe them hopping...or leaping...around the various cacti. 

Chipping Sparrow

 Afterwards, I met up with Magill and we headed back to Prescott.  This time we discovered that it wasn't a hike that was needed but a bit of strategy and patience.  Actually, a LOT of patience.  People were active around the entire lake with their splashing dogs and crying children. We simply sat on a picnic table overlooking the entire lake with a scope and waited.  Another birder joined in the search and together we had every angle covered.

The secret to finding a rare Purple Gallinule is part luck and part understanding of its habitat requirements(lily pads near reeds).  It sounds simple enough but the bird is also known to be secretive. And rare for Arizona. Oh and purple. During the previous weekend, Magill and Gordon had joked about finding a Purple Gallinule in the area because the lake had all the right requirements. They both had a nerdy birder's laugh that sounded a little like a Sora calling:)  Little did we know.  Anyhow, back to that moment, Jeanine McCabe gave us the bat signal that the bird was visible.  We grabbed our equipment and headed to the area observing this secretive bird using the reeds like a staircase. We were able to watch this bird for a few minutes before a screaming child entered the picture.  Of course.  Another kid showed up and wanted to demonstrate to us how he could throw rocks in the water.  He instead got an education about how it's best to be quiet so you can find purple birds. His Dad didn't seem to mind:)

Purple Gallinule

 While we waited for the Purple Gallinule to show up, we heard the White-eyed Vireo call from across the lake a couple times. I had seen the bird before and am familiar with the call. Instead of chasing the bird for a pic, we just made note of it on our report. I have a pic below of the bird from a trek last year to Corkscrew Swamp in Florida. 

White-eyed Vireo

While they weren't lifers, they were important birds for us to add to our Arizona list.  Sometimes it pays to be stubborn:)  I can now begin my work week with a clear mind. One last story....

I met my first Purple Gallinule back in 2011 in the beautiful town of Gamboa.  I was having a nice drink with my friend on the Changuinola River during a beautiful monsoon storm.  I wasn't a birder at this time in my life but I couldn't help but notice a "purple duck" walking towards us.  It tripped me out.  Was this bird real?  Did I have too much to drink?  My friend, however, said the words, "Purple Gallinule".  While the Lance-tailed Manakin "sparked" my interest into this epic birding adventure,  it was this "purple duck" that helped tip the scale from amateur photographer to amateur birder.  Every life bird has a story.  And every time I see one of those birds from my life list, I remember that first moment observing them.  Here is a video from that special moment. At 1:50, the Purple Gallinule makes an appearance. 

Until next time friends....

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:)