My first outing was to Madera Canyon where I watched two Coatis roaming around their patch for food
When you're almost dead and don't have the energy to clean, there's the aftermath of house cleaning! Good gods! There was laundry, bed sheets to wash, cleaning the floors, dishes and so on and so forth. And then, there's the whole covid sleep factor.
Nova "helps" me organize a trip. Knock on wood. I'm hoping it happens.
When you have covid, sleep is amazing. I have spoken to so many dead people in my dreams in crazy fantastical places that it's not even funny. The dreams are intense and real. And the sleep is deep and sound. Maybe it's because we have one foot in the grave now? Who knows? But it has created a terrible sleep pattern over these past 2 months! I stay up until 4 in the morning and sleep until 11 everyday but expect myself to keep the same daily routine with less time to do so!
Cassin's Sparrow
After a month of quarantining, I am slowly getting my groove back. I had a haircut! And I've been hesitantly interacting with humanity. Once you get covid, you don't ever want it again. I went to the post office today to mail off some masks to a friend but noticed two "Karens" without a mask in our mask mandated city of Tucson. It made me angry. There were so many people being careful and two jackasses didn't social distance or wear a mask. My attitude? Get the hell out of the post office. I don't want covid again. And it's not fair to the all the people who were standing there socially distancing with their masks on. There's a special place in hell for people like that. Needless to say, I reported the post office for servicing those covid spreaders. If we don't take this seriously, I will never see my students again. My tolerance for stupidity is very low now. And I am angry. There were a lot of wide eyes at the lady. I won't be going to the post office again.
Blue Grosbeak
The public is exhausting. I am grateful for the friends and family who brought us groceries while we were down. Even today after the covid, shopping can be very draining. So much careful planning has to happen for every visit to a store. I try to go when numbers are low. And I avoid shopping on the weekends now. I think that was the hardest thing to do......grocery shop again. The body has to build strength again and those first baby steps were hard. I'd break out in a sweat for a minimal amount of exertion. So I had to approach my birding that same way for a week until my body could build strength. It was a treat to see people outside exercising as if there wasn't any major pandemic going on. It has also been very strange that there hasn't been any real quarantining happening in Arizona even after we became the hotspot. If you're lucky to leave your covid hell, it's a real eye opener!
a juvenile Bridled Titmouse begs the parent to feed them
Escaping the endless horrible news after quarantine is a must. I get so bored, but thankfully, I enjoy writing. For several weeks, I pulled out those "emergency blog posts" while we were dealing with our sickness. I lost the stamina to write. Now that I'm back to "normal", I have enjoyed the writing process again. I had a few students who shared with me their stories of the covid infection. Here is some useful information if you get the mild case of covid. There are 3 choices with this virus. You either are asymptomatic, have a mild case(what we had) OR you are in the ER/Covid Unit/ventilator due to breathing issues. If you experience "allergies or a slight cough", get tested as soon as you can. After the hellish experience with our mild case of covid, we were told by doctors that a slight cough can be expected for a few weeks after you had the virus. (which was good to hear). It's probably similar to what smokers experience. Hopefully it's not for life.
Lesser Nighthawks are quite visible now at sunset. We had one fly over the garden recently.
One night, my stubborn German side came out and said, "You're going for a walk!" Part of the resistance building came from simple walks at night or from the car. My first attempt was a walk around Agua Caliente Park when everyone went home. I watched Lesser Nighthawks and Purple Martins zip around me at sunset.
Greater Roadrunner
During those first few outings, I just drove in my car and went to places away from people. Monsoon is here now and it has been rather beautiful so I did my yearly trek during a rain event to count Cassin's Sparrows in the grasslands. There was lightning so I stayed in my vehicle, the USS Betty White.
A lot of the action has been also happening at home. I've been purchasing more oranges and seed for ONE station under our oak trees in the courtyard. You can see the plants getting "excited" for the rain events. The humidity in the air is wonderfully nasty for humans but the plants love it! It looks like they are almost glowing green as if they were giving a sigh of relief. And after getting beat up by the sun for nearly 2 months, they immediately perk up with that glorious first nitrogen rich rain!
a view of the beautiful monsoon sunset from our side garden
Tucsonans get excited about the monsoon season. Most people groan elsewhere but in the desert West, it's a celebration. It also makes for very comfortable birding after the rain event. I just have to be careful with the lightning. It's not a joke here. Birding is also good for the memory. I had a moment on the trail today when I forgot the name of the blackbird with red on the wings. Seriously! I stopped what I was doing and concentrated.....RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD! It took about 30 seconds to remember. I was a bit scared that I couldn't multi-task and remember all the birds zipping around me. Baby steps.
A first for our patch!!!!!! A Bullock's Oriole visits our feeder!!!! It was so exciting!
I am so glad we secured our place with our catio screen. Crime rates in midtown have gone up. For TWO nights, there has been a police helicopter shining lights over my garden! An armed felon hid on my neighbor's patio! It was very scary. And then the next night, two men, one without pants, lit a dumpster on fire and ran into our little forested oasis. But no worries readers:) I have strategically placed deadly cacti, like cholla in unexpected areas where people could run or hide. It's super painful if you step on it. They are placed near lush vegetation making the person think that it's "safe" to hide. LOL! Besides keeping the criminals out of our oasis, I also placed cacti like cholla in our garden to encourage Cactus Wrens and Curve-billed Thrashers to nest. They have lost habitat in midtown due to construction and so I'm trying to help them out. They do visit our gardens often for insects, etc.
This has been a good year for our Broad-billed Hummingbirds. We've had lots of nesting happening. I keep putting in their orange jubilee plants and keep the feeders full. They stick around all year on our property.
And after being in bed for nearly a month, I got fed up looking at ugly ceilings. So, I pulled out the supplies I had stored and mustered the little energy I had to begin Covid Project 3, the Coastal Room.
This room surprised me with different challenges. The vinyl material I used did not want to stay up on the ceiling unlike the other room. There were cuts in the ceiling for electric additions. And notice that there is an area of the vertical wall that needs to be re-painted. As I began the art of redesign, I cleared the area for a blank slate.
I watched so many DIY projects on Youtube and did a lot of reading. The glue did not work. I used tacks to keep the thin planks up on the ceiling and quickly realized I was going to need a staple gun to make this project work. Plus the tack method, which worked in the other room, did NOT work in this room. And it killed my thumbs.
Each day I did little by little. My body would get tired and then I knew it was time to stop. I wasn't going anywhere so I didn't force myself.
As the ceiling was being completed my photography began to come in. So I started placing the work in different areas to get a feel for the coast.
Like a jigsaw puzzle, I began to sort out all the pieces and details.
I sat back one evening and smiled. It all fit together. Now there is more I have to do! Do you see where the horizontal seams are on the ceiling between the wood planks? Well. A wooden beam will cover that seam adding to the coastal charm. I need more reds and whites over the next couple months to complete this project. So I look forward to adding those fun and simple ideas. When I finish this, I'll post the complete pictures. Right now, I'm happy how this turned out, but I want to finish this before work starts up again. Until next time and thankfully there will be a next time......stay safe and free from the nasty covid. Avoid the Karens at all cost. You don't want this. Now that we've recovered, I'm even more careful.
After our Hawaii trip and during my first week back to work, I had to also prepare for Tucson Audubon's Southeastern Birding Festival the following weekend. It was a week of transition and overlapping responsibilities. So I happily put on my guide cap once again to help lead several treks around the Sierra Vista area.
They see their first Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers
The weather this time of year can be nice, super hot and terrible or just downright dangerous. On this weekend, the weather seemed to cooperate knowing that we were going to have a festival.
I play the recorded Common Raven calls and compare to the calls of the Chihuahuan Ravens. Folks are able to ID their lifer Chihuahuan Ravens recognizing the calls. These juveniles sit and watch us at the Ft. Huachuca Cemetery
It's hard to transition sometimes from one trek into another. From birding two weeks in Hawaii, I felt what the word extinction really meant. And it hit me hard. You could say I was in a funk. Then I get back to Arizona where life and birds are fun again. Our birds are happy here. There's lots of birds and none are really endangered. Organizations like Tucson Audubon have helped protect Southeastern Arizona from many human disasters. And it continues to do so. So the vibe here is a happy and adventurous one. One could say that birding treks can be very bipolar. Hawaii was my first sad discovery and several friends have warned me that it won't be my last last.
The Hepatic and Western Tanagers are in good numbers around the canyons
That alarm went off early Saturday morning at 4:30 AM and I reluctantly got out of bed. I headed over to the hotel where all the participants were eagerly awaiting. Their positive energy and excitement boosted my spirits. My teacher mode clicked on and soon we were in two vans with the fabulous Hollie driving and co-leader Ken following along to one of my most favorite places of Southeastern Arizona, the Cienegas Grasslands.
Eastern Bluebirds(the Mexican subspecies) breed on the Huachuca base
The following day Ms. Jennie would lead our group to Ft. Huachuca for a full day trek into Huachuca and Garden canyons. And I got to kick back and co-lead on that one. Co-leading is great because I get to be the supporting actor and not the one to have to make the big decisions. I don't mind group leading at all, but it's more fun to be the co-leader because you can play with the participants more.
the ancient petroglyphs of Garden Canyon
Both days were amazing. With 40 participants and our tours full, we all had a great weekend(and they saw birds!). My energy levels were boosted and I felt happy.
A Gray Hawk played with me. I told the participants one was calling from somewhere in the area. As we were driving out, I caught the bird sitting on the branch! Lifer! Several people very happy:)
I have to say that my eyes are terrible. I was calling out the birds and they were spotting them. It's funny but I have found most people don't bird by ear, but instead with their eyes. I try to bird with my eyes but the bird has to call for me to find them:) They'd say, "How do you do that?" and I'd respond, "Language is what I do." Bird language is no different from the human kind.
Western Wood-Pewees continue to nest during this late time of year when other birds begin to migrate south
People would groan when I said "group pics!" but it's important to remember what we accomplished on those days. When will we all ever be in the same space again? Maybe never. It's important to remember these moments in our lives. Even if it's just a snapshot.
Exhausted after a wonderful morning, it's now time to cool off and head home.
The more I get into birding; the more I realize how special these times are together. Some birders who I have had the privilege to bird with are gone now. So I try to remind everyone to take a moment and share in it together.
One of several Pronghorn seen in the grasslands around Empire Ranch
I would say that the Sierra Vista, Sonoita and Patagonia areas are my favorite places to bird in the state. During my grassland tour, I always train people on the vocalizations of the Grasshopper, Cassin's and Botteri's Sparrows. Then I have them ID their own sparrows once we've done a few practice ones together. For me, it's important that they are able to leave my tour successfully ID'ing these two difficult sparrows on their own. When you find something on your own, it has more meaning.
We spy Lazuli Buntings at this cattle tank
I like to surprise participants with some fun birds that they didn't expect for their lists. After doing this tour now a couple times, I can somewhat predict some of their questions. During this time of year, transitioning Lark Buntings are found around the Empire Ranch. For some reason, people forget about them until I hear someone shout, "What are those black birds?!!" Then, we stop the van and look alongside the road. "Are those Lark Buntings?!!" I award them an A+ for their astute observations. If I feel the bird is going to vanish quickly, I will call it out, but otherwise, I think it's important for birders to find their birds on their own in a natural way. Then they ask their questions and I help guide them to the ID of their bird. That is how I interpret "guide". I know where the birds are. If I hear them, I'll lead the peeps over and then step back and watch their faces as they discover a new bird for the first time. I like that much better than pointing to the bird and saying, "There it is."
Lark Buntings are still in their breeding plumage, but several, like the one above, is beginning to transition into winter plumage
In the pic below, the crew is looking at 2 Elegant Trogons. During a scouting mission, we found a nice number of them in Huachuca Canyon. I had the participants listen for their repetitive dog bark to prep them for the visit. And they were able to locate them:) Jennie gets credit for finding those birds! They can be tricky this time of year.
The crew spots and male and female Elegant Trogon
Life has been chaotic since work has begun. It's like two worlds are beginning to clash. There's the one that I love and then there's the one that I must maintain.
This appears to be a juvenile male Blue Grosbeak as there is some slight blue forming on the plumage
The heat of course is still challenging and by afternoon, we all began to slow down:)
We watch a Painted Redstart steal the show
When I am not needed, I hide in my kitchen and cook. After Hawaii, I didn't have the desire to bird as much. Instead, I read through piles and piles of books and did a lot of internet searches on the islands. I can't let it go.
Black-tailed Prairie Dogs are doing well now in the grasslands. They were once extirpated from the area due to ranchers poisoning them. Today they have established themselves once again in these grasslands. Their populations continue to increase. Their burrows are also homes to Burrowing Owls. Unfortunately we did not see any on this day.
It's amazing to me how each place has a different feel for birds. I think in Arizona, it's far more accessible for people to come and bird. We have a few quirky things to know like bring water, lock your doors, watch out for poisonous wildlife and watch for quickly changing weather conditions. In Mexico, it was watch your camera. In Trinidad, it was watch your camera and don't go out after midnight because people get murdered. And in Hawaii, it was relax and bird, but with a heart breaking sadness. An international birder has to learn how to go with the flow. When we travel, we discover how locals view their wildlife. And sometimes it sucks.
The two biggies in Arizona that we constantly fight are wildfires and limited water. Human morons are constantly trying to drain the last of our rivers in already bone dry conditions. They are the life blood for much of our wildlife. That's why I support Tucson Audubon and others. This year, our Saguaro cactus seem to be taking a hit with development in areas like Oro Valley. Careless developers destroyed many natural homes for our local Purple Martins, owls and flickers. This year I've lost my colony of Purple Martins at my work site. It was heart breaking. Lightning blew out the cactus and with it, the family of martins. Broke my heart. There is one colony left. Yesterday 12 of them gathered and are now preparing to migrate south.
Jennie gets the scope ready to view a nesting Violet-crowned Hummingbird! They add lichens to their little tea cup nest. See in ebird report below.
Life is a journey. It is painful sometimes. People can be the worst creatures of this planet. And then again, they are some of the best. These people give me hope. I am hopeful. I try to be hopeful.
The crew ID's Western Kingbirds and a Botteri's Sparrow
Birding continues to grow more than ever. This year our festival numbers doubled from last year's event. I watched our coordinator, Luke Safford, keep his sanity over those busy days managing day treks and the overall festival conference. That's no easy feat! He did an amazing job. I've been in his shoes before. So had Wrenegades member Sara Pratt. We both laughed and were glad it wasn't us coordinating. I'm now too old to even contemplate such a monster of an event. Luke, you did an amazing job! Thank you for making this festival a great success!
We end our day happy with many Buff-breasted Flycatchers bouncing around us with their "whits"
For now, I'll help whenever needed. I much like working with people and helping them find their birds. I am working on new adventures, but have been dealing with painting our place, paying bills, and living a mortal life. October promises to be an exciting one as does November and December. I am 23 lifebirds short of my goal. Where will I go next? Stay tuned for more! For our adventures, click on the here. For the Las Cienegas Grasslands, click here. And for Huachuca Canyon, click here.
Kristen captures a Tucson sunset at Saguaro National Park
Even though final exams finished, I knew I wasn't done. As I signed off at work, my biggest challenge was about to begin. 5 visitors in 5 days!
Blue Grosbeak
My friend Kristen was staying at our place for a rest before heading to Los Angeles. While she drove to Tucson, I met up with another friend, Pam, at Saguaro National Park.
Saguaro National Park
Eventually, everyone found each other and we chased sunsets.
Antelope Jackrabbit
As we said our hello's and good-bye's, I was off to help other visiting friends find Arizona's amazing owls. Day 2 began.
White-winged Doves on a Saguaro Cactus
I met with Khanh and Walker in Madera Canyon before sunset. There, we owled for several hours.
Elf Owl
These two guys were completely enamored by our beautiful owls. I don't blame them. They are pretty amazing. Sometimes they forgot where they stepped and took a spill. After the second time watching Khanh take a fall and stabbing himself with a cactus needle, I was concerned. It would have sucked to twist an ankle on the first night! Lots of blood was shed that day:) I forget how tricky our terrain can be for visitors. Plus owling in the darkness is challenging.
Whiskered Screech-Owl
After successfully finding Whiskered Screech-Owls, Elf Owls and Flammulated Owls, I went home for a several hour sleep. The next day was even more challenging! Lots of hiking! When people come to Arizona, they want to see everything! Living here allows me to focus on places and absorb. Now if I were traveling here as a visitor, I'd have to pick and choose which birds I'd want to see. Florida, you know I'm talking about you:)
Northern Goshawk
Anytime, we are on the trails, we HOPE to get satisfying views of our target birds (but sometimes they don't always play nice). Khanh wanted Montezuma Quail and Elegant Trogons. He got them both but it wasn't easy. For me, it was challenging because the Montezuma Quail are VERY elusive. Many times birders stumble on them by accident. Now I had to intentionally find them. I know how to do it, but they don't often cooperate for photographers. I taught Khanh about their habitat. He was able to hear the birds call AND eventually, he was able to see them.
And while searching for the quail, we discovered nesting Northern Goshawks! These photos above are a first for Las Aventuras. This accipter species is EXTREMELY difficult to capture on camera. We had to play a game to get the shot. In the morning, we had accidentally flushed the bird from a tree. It was quick to disappear and went almost undetected. But my ears honed in on a moving branch. Khanh quickly spotted the bird as I pointed to the area where the noise was made.
Khanh at the infamous "Split Rock" searching for a Spotted Owl in Miller Canyon
Secretive in nature and known as "Gray Ghosts", they are fast operatives in montane forest. Anyhow, we left the area and returned back in the afternoon to see if the bird returned to his original spot. He did. And for a few brief moments he didn't notice us from across the creek watching. What a pretty spectacular sighting!
My weekend would continue and by Sunday I was really needing my rest. Then Monday would come and I would meet up with a wonderful lady by the name of Bonnie from Wales. We had a great time as we discovered a Wood Duck, several rare Tucson Inca Doves, and a wonderful look at a Wilson's Warbler. She also was able to observe the Mexican subspecies of Mallards nesting in our park while I also helped her get two lifers, the Vermilion Flycatcher and Lucy's Warbler. She had great views of both!
My week ended and I was exhausted. What an amazing time out with some wonderful people! Southern Arizona is one of the most beautiful places on this planet. Its' harsh conditions and epic landscapes make it a "must see". Time is often a factor when planning a trip here. If you can't fit it all in, there's always another trip:) Until next time......
Southern Arizona is a great place to experience a new adventure every day. Today, we visit the Santa Rita Lodge in beautiful Madera Canyon.
While I was doing my 85 minute sit, I was shocked by all the blue birds around me. Many times, I hear people asking, "Why are our birds in North America so drab and brown?" I suppose when compared to our tropical neighbors, the birds tend to be more brown. But I wouldn't say drab. Perhaps they weren't looking in the right place?
Blue Grosbeak male; female is yellowish-brown
It was a cool and breezy afternoon at the benches. While I was there, I noticed several birders who were intent on finding birds. We started speaking and I gave them the rundown on what birds could be seen here. I told them I was looking for a Varied Bunting on this stationary count. And they told me that they needed a Blue Grosbeak. Together, we put our eyes to the task and teamed up.
male Varied Bunting
As I sat there thinking about the "brown bird comments", I began to question it. I didn't see many brown birds on this visit but I did notice a color theme for the day. Among the blues and purples and lavenders, there were Mexican Jays, Broad-billed Hummingbirds, Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Magnificent Hummingbirds, Varied Buntings and scads of Blue Grosbeaks.
Mexican Jay-the jay that I am most familiar with except perhaps the Stellar's Jay. These two birds are the most common jays for Southern Arizona birders.
I also began to think about hummingbirds since Santa Rita Lodge is known for their summer hummer fun. Almost every hummingbird known to the US comes to their feeders except the Ruby-throated Hummingbird and a couple hummingbird species from Texas. In my yard alone, I've had 5 different species visit!
Black-chinned Hummingbird
My work is about to begin. I have spent a lot of time reading and researching for my trek into southern Mexico this summer. This chart below shows my work on hummingbirds over the past 4 years. I have only been able to photo document 24 of the 25 hummingbirds seen.
The only hummingbird I have not been able to capture on camera is the Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird. The conditions were terrible when I saw this beautiful hummer in Guatemala. There are 356 hummingbirds in the world which means I have a lots of fun trips to plan:) The Americas are exciting for me. I could focus my lifetime in these places and be happy.
Top to bottom and left to right. I have many of the male species here as they are very distinct from each other.
Rufous Hummingbird, Rufous Sabrewing, Violet-bellied, Rufous-tailed, Broad-tailed
Mountain-gem, Broad-billed, Snowy-bellied Hummingbird, Lucifer, Blue-chested Hummingbirds
White-eared, Plain-capped Starthroat, Anna's, Allen's, Costa's Hummingbirds
Violet Sabrewing, Black-chinned, Long-billed Hermit, Violet-crowned, Blue-throated Hummingbirds
Magnificent, Lucifer(again:), Ruby-throated, Azure-crowned, Calliope
Here is a video from my treks around North America. Excuse the shaky camera. My cell phone is MUCH better with movie clips than my actual camera....but my camera can get closer to the birds. Stay tuned for more fun. Until next time, happy birding!
Elegant Tern at Lakeside Park in Tucson
This week's rare bird alert. We had yet another rain storm blow in this past Tuesday. On a hunch, I went to check out the same place where I found a second Least Tern for Tucson and discovered yet another great tern! This Elegant Tern made its' way to Tucson and hung out at Lakeside Park. Normally this bird is found along the Pacific Ocean. This year is the year of terns in the Old Pueblo! Pretty exciting stuff.
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