Ramblings from a Solitary Retreat

The rains and snows of Southeastern Arizona have given us some of the most beautiful vistas.  This was taken from Summerhaven on top of Mt. Lemmon on a wintery day

As I heal, I have found comfort in a quiet cup of coffee writing from my office next to my fuzzy warm cats. 

I explore a new canyon with Cheroot and Celeste.  In the background, there is a waterfall that flows downwards into the Sabino Creek

I now have answers as to why I have had pain these past two months.  I'll need another month to know if the medication is working or if I'll need corrective surgery.  My inner gypsy is locked away inside. The birding I do now is reflective and close to home. 

A Red-naped Sapsucker eats at our local park during the winter season

And even within my own little space, there are amazing birds around me. Some of my friends understand what I'm going through, but others still think I can go go go on the trails and treks like I did awhile back.  I can't.  I'm tired of the driving.  All I want to do is listen to bird song or count birds in my backyard. 

A Greater White-fronted Goose stops by a local park for a visit

I think the stress of "holiday" and what's happening in our country started this whole mess. I've shut down the news.  I've shut down the chaos of holiday.  And even resisting these human "norms" is stressful.  No one should have to suffer expectations.  

I watch the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher forage for food

We renewed our membership at the Desert Museum.  I've taken wonderful walks with my friend Celeste and Cheroot in quiet canyons.  There's more.  So much more. As you've heard me say in the last post, 2019 has been a tough year.  Right after March, things got crazy.  People's lives began to fall apart around us.  I tried to be there for people but I failed miserably.  There were too many friends with things happening.  And then in my own family.  Internally, it stressed me out because I'm a fix it person.  But I couldn't this time. It's something they all had to do on their own. And I wasn't able to be there for them.

Then my health issues in October forced me to pull back. Remote canyons and mountain tops were out of the question.  Any place out of cell service was a no no.  Two trips to the ER, many doctor visits, tests and finally an upper GI test revealed a hiatal hernia. I've had this random pain since I was 32, but I never had an answer until now. Knowing what it is will allow me to fix my intake.  No tomatoes.  No citrus!(no fresh oj from the oranges that are coming soon in AZ!).  No soda. 

A Black-throated Sparrow perches on a Barrel Cactus at the Desert Museum

And that's ok.  I eat healthy but in some cases maybe I overdid it with the fresh tomato juice I drank every day.  I couldn't let my current tomatoes go bad so I threw them in the freezer with all my other veggies and fruits.  One day, I'll be able to sip on my perfectly created fresh tomato juice of carrots, apples, celery with a squeeze of lemon or lime.  The other crap I don't mind at all....no fried foods or meat.  That's easy.  But not using spice??!  That's going to be hard:)

A Ladder-backed Woodpecker climbs a tree at my local patch, Reid Park

I'm on vacation now until next year.  It's wonderfully cold.  There is rain.  And as I look around our home, I see things I'd like to work on.  But I have to do my walk first!

This rare wintering Greater Pewee has returned to Reid Park for the next several months

I live in Tucson, perhaps one of the greatest places to live for birding.  As you can see, just a half hour to 40 minutes away (or less!), a birder can visit different habitats and see a crazy amount of birds.  I average about 150-200 bird species a month by just birding around town.  All the birds you see today in this blog are from local visits to parks and our nearby Mt. Lemmon or Cienegas Grasslands. 

A Common Yellowthroat hops around Archer Lake at Columbus Park

And because I'm not driving huge distances or traveling crazy amounts of hours in car or plane, I have this crazy energy to pull out many more bird species than I normally would from my local parks. I blame it on the pent up gypsy who wants to find something rare.  Even if I've seen the bird a million times. I can't shut that part down. 

But these gentle walks are refreshing and revealing. 

Pronghorn graze in the Cienegas Grasslands

I look forward to this new year with visiting friends.  I think they'll love the birds here.  For many of them, they'll all be new and I can't wait to see their faces as they explore the place I call home.  It's so different from their own homes. 

I mean.....look at these views!!!  30 minutes away from my home. 

On a hill overlooking Tucson

Or how about this one?  I'm walking along a trail and this Greater Roadrunner joins me.  I had to step back with my camera.  But then the bird would walk closer to me and screw up my shot.  For a quarter of a mile, the bird walked alongside me like a dog would do with their human friend.  It was so cool.  

A Greater Roadrunner in Tucson

It got me thinking about the birds I always take pictures of.....like......Greater Roadrunners, Vermilion Flycatchers, Greater Pewees, Curve-billed Thrashers, Cactus Wrens, any quail, all sparrows.......

The simple fact is that I love all of my local birding. Now don't think I won't chase new bird species, but I've hit my thousand mark (and then some) ahead of my goals which will allow me to take my time to get to 2000 birds. In fact, I'm just 10 away from another "100" post.  It has taken the pressure off of me to chase and I really like it.  

Finally, I love my Tucson community.  Sometimes I don't take the time to stop and be a Tucsonan. And I've been doing it more.  I live near our artsy and magical Loft Cinema.  A dear former student works there and I was able to visit with her and watch this terrible Star Wars Holiday special.  And it was terrible!

Baby Yoda eyes the competition

But with 400 people in attendance, it was an experience best shared.  We ordered nachos and put them under our seat for later on.  As you can see, I've circled "Baby Yoda" in the pic above.  My other half Micheal looked over and saw Baby Yoda hanging out in the aisle with us.  That was odd.  When I went to get a chip, they were gone!  Apparently Baby Yoda got hungry and found the chips under Micheal's seat.  Where was Mom you ask?  Well she was blitzed while her kids "Turkey Vultured" their way around the theater!  LOL!  

The Catio

Tucson is growing.  In the winter there are SO MANY PEOPLE.  But knowing Tucson is also knowing WHERE to go when there are crowds of people.  Take for example these last two pics.  It was a most perfect day.  In the morning, I had coffee with my "girls" as they sat and sunned out in the catio.  Then we went to renew our membership at the Desert Museum on a day that didn't have many visitors.  Why you ask?  Well thousands went to our annual street fair. We countered the crowds with another popular attraction, the Desert Museum and won!  Micheal and I both had the most special lunch away from the crowds in this nice restaurant.  And a beautiful walk in our incredible Sonoran desert. 

The winter glow of the Desert Museum

I love being home.  I have several more commitments.  Over the next several blogs, we'll be revisiting Bosque Del Apache, Colorado and explore our CBC results in the Atascosa Highlands and Phoenix area. After that, I'm going to be a hermit! And garden in my backyard.  I cannot wait for 2019 to be over.  Happy New Year everyone! Until next time....

Final Exams and Birds

Lewis's Woodpecker

During my final exam period, I find it hard to go birding with all the grading I have to do.  I force myself to go out and keep up with the challenges even though I've seen most of Arizona's birds many times. I'd rather sleep. I do it because when spring comes, I'm often asked to guide.  And it's good to keep fresh with our key species here like the Rufous-capped Warblers, Black-capped Gnatcatchers, Red-faced and Olive Warblers, etc. 

Arizona has large pecan groves and during the winter, it's always a good idea to check these trees for not only the Lewis's Woodpeckers but other species as well like the Red-breasted Sapsucker. Some of these groves are on private property and others grow in city parks or abandoned lots.  

Savannah Sparrow

It was a good weekend out.  The sparrows are back again and I enjoy sorting through all of them during my counts.  And of course, the month of December always seems to be a banner month for wintering Lawrence's Goldfinches as they feed from the seed heads of a particular grass that grows here. I couldn't believe the numbers at each of the stops we made!

Lawrence's Goldfinches

On Saturday, I went out with Micheal to the town of Patagonia to bird the Patagonia-Sonoita Nature Conservancy and look for the reported Carolina Wren. We didn't see it but I get a sense that it's probably the same bird who showed up early this year at Patagonia Lake State.  We had a nice hike and found lots of great birds, mammals and a male tarantula below. 

We laughed at the antics of the juvenile Coue's Whitetail Deer as they jumped around in the fields chasing one another.  In total, we counted around 36 deer!  Apparently, there are many many more.  I sat at the end of our walk on a bench speaking with the volunteer.  According to Micheal, we spoke for over an hour about birds.  How does that even happen?  I felt bad so I treated him to dinner.  I could have camped there that night.  It was so beautiful.  

Coue's Whitetail Deer

While on the trails there, I heard the distinct electronic sliding "ZEET!" call of the Black-capped Gnatcatchers. So I began taking pics for photo documentation to submit to the report.  When I got home, I discovered a Blue-gray had slipped into the middle of my Black-capped Gnatcatchers just to meddle with my ID abilities.  These can be extremely difficult birds to ID.  Thankfully I had pics of both species.  When documenting this "rare(but growing)" population of Black-capped Gnatcatchers, it's important to ID 4 key items.  The important part is to see the under tail of this species for the white pattern.  A long narrow bill is helpful but not always easy to figure out when the bird is alone.  There is also a brownish tone to the back of these birds in winter. Lastly, their call is distinct.  If you have audio equipment, try to record their call for your ebird report. But if the bird is silent, make sure you ID that under tail. It's always easy when you spot a male in summer with a black cap and an almost all white under tail. 

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

We finished up our trek to Patagonia successfully.  Then Sunday arrived.  I hung out with my friend Hollie to bird around her area in Green Valley.  We had a blast exploring new areas that are now open for birders to explore. It was a crazy day full of rare birds. To make the day even better, it was cold and foggy!

Daylight forces me to be smart about where I bird.  Sometimes all I can do is bird my local patch. 

drake Canvasback

After work, I rush over to Reid Park to do my weekly bird count.  It rarely disappoints. 

When you're a drake Wood Duck, it's hard not to be conspicuous

As I finish up with grades, I am also planning for 3 upcoming treks over the next several weeks.  Some of these treks are for specific birds.  We'll be road tripping back into California for possibly the last time as we search for the Yellow-billed Magpie and Mountain Quail.  That's all I have left for species on land in Cali. I lived in the Bay area once and I remember observing the Yellow-billed Magpies often, but I glanced at them.  And I wasn't a birder.  So we're going to make it official and fun in the process. 

Neotropic Cormorant

There are other birds that are like that for me in the US.  I call them "clean up" birds because they live in out-of-the-way areas that often require special trips due to their range restrictions. 

The Big Feet of an American Coot

Finally, I'd like to address something that has bothered me over the past several weeks.  The birder's club is just like any kind of human social group. It has good members and a few naughty ones.  Often I love my birder peeps, but there are some that break the rules and ruin it for everyone.  I dropped off the AZ Listserv after I kept getting emails from every Tom, Dick and Henrietta about reporting owls.  It got annoying.  Before that, I was irritated by birders who don't follow land rules and trespass. If you're reading this, I'm preaching to the choir.  Apparently, I'm not the only one.  The Green Valley Water Treatment Plant must have also been annoyed because it took time to create this monstrosity of a sign.  Birding continues to grow and with it, we must all teach the newbies the rules. Or we lose important places to bird, not bird watch:) "Bird Watchers" made me laugh.  We are birders.  When someone says bird watcher, I think of robin strokers which is not birding.  Bird watching is like sitting at your window and not knowing what you're seeing.  You just like the birds. And that's ok. I will even admit that I bird watch from my dining room window. Birding is a whole lot of "work"!

Ok.  I'm off my soap box now.  Final exams are notorious for making teachers grouchy.  Teenagers are sneaky.  Soon, I'll be able to finish up my grades and fully commit to travel again.  Next week we join my one and only CBC for this year up on Mt. Lemmon. I'm hoping we have some cool weather with some cool birds.  Until next time......

The Land Of Shadows

Grace's Warbler

This past week was a whole lot of crazy.  I had a hard time coming up with a theme for this post. Birds and Blossoms?  No.  The Mt. Ord Jinx?  No.  Updates on the owls? No.  So instead, it's an assortment of fun. 

Sonoran Bumblebee

My week started out well but soon turned into crazy at work. I had decided that my focus for the birding trek over the weekend would be centered around Gray Vireos, Hermit and Grace's Warblers.  It would also include flowering plants found around the various areas. However, an Eared Quetzal, the gem of all gems, showed up in a remote area known as Gardener Canyon.  This tropical bird is so quiet and elusive that it makes the chase very difficult.  I decided to stick to my original plan and let all the other birders do the chase.  Glad I did!

Ocotillo Bloom

We had been receiving updates from Gardener Canyon throughout the day. The Eared Quetzal was a no show for the 20+ birders. So the gamble paid off...this time.  On Saturday, me and the Magill headed up to Mt. Ord to find the above mentioned bird species. But little did I know, a dark shadow lay between Magill and this mountain. It didn't take long before we began spotting birds. Whenever there are Ocotillo blooms(above), the Broad-billed Hummingbirds will zip around the blossoms.  Now the Broad-billed Hummingbird is considered a rare bird for Maricopa, but it is quite common in the Tucson area all year round!  So we lucked out on this day and found two of them!  That was a pretty special way to kick start the day. 

Broad-billed Hummingbird

While up on Mt. Ord, we spotted two other rare birds.  The first species was Laurence Butler(Butleri larencei) while the other was Gordon Karre(Kare gordonis).  And mentally, I was relieved! Why?  Well, apparently they had also decided not to chase the Eared Quetzal. When the holy triad of cars came together on the dirt road, I smiled. While it was brief, it was nice seeing everyone together. It doesn't happen often! The moment lasted for a few minutes and then it was back to "work".  

Desert Mariposa Lily

So while I was planning on working with one group of birds, I found myself distracted by other things.....which is natural.  It's not always about the birds. 

Microtia dymas or Tiny Checkerspot

We found large numbers of Black-throated Gray Warblers moving through the area.  They were the dominant warbler species on this day. Our count had an amazing 40+ tally!

Black-throated Gray Warbler

Blue-gray Gnatcatchers would also be quite numerous on this day. 

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

And we kept on the dusty and rocky roads observing several of our target birds which included the Gray Vireo. Our Mt. Ord bird count was outstanding! However our return trek down the mountain side would prove to be too much for Magill's car. The shadow of Ord.

Gray Vireo

As you might imagine with treks like these, our amazing views and amazing birds can sometimes come with a hefty price:)  Magill has had issues on this nasty road twice!  This trek, unfortunately, wouldn't be any different.  We got a flat on the way down.  At least it wasn't at the summit!  As we attempted to change the tire, the jack slipped on the uneven dirt road as we were about to put on the spare.  And now the jack was bent. 

Top of Mt. Ord

 While we tried figuring out what to do(since our cell service was spotty), a Scott's Oriole sang in the background. "With a sigh you turn away.  With a deepening heart no more words to say.  You will find that the world has changed forever. And the trees are now turning from green to gold. And the sun is now fading." It was really quite sad. But this brilliant yellow oriole sang to the feathered gods and our birdy prayers were answered. A golden gas guzzling hummer slowed down to help us out. Within this majestic vehicle, there were two friendly Canadians.  And they had the jack of all car jacks! A hummer car jack! Invincible!  

Magill calling AAA.  The catch?  AAA doesn't cover dirt roads.  Of course.

Together we were able to change the tire while Magill told these poor souls about the horror stories that have happened on Mt. Ord:) Afterwards, we slowly crawled back to Phoenix on the spare. Magill said good-bye one last time to Mt. Ord. Never again will she attempt to drive the hairpin turns along this mountain's rocky one lane road. It was over.  But I also remember Cher saying the same thing about her retirement concerts. However, you can find her in Las Vegas STILL performing! So we'll see.....

"Fame" Rose Bush.  A good and almost pest free Rose bush for Tucson.  Only catch?  Not fragrant like other roses.  But the roses last longer.  We placed this particular rose bush within our school garden several years ago and it has endured the test of time!  

I hadn't planned on studying swallows and their nest sites, but I did:)  Below are two swallow species found in Arizona.  Both nest differently.  The Cliff Swallows create mud huts over water while the Violet-green Swallows live at higher altitudes nesting within tree cavities.  

And FINALLY!  This past week at my job, I've been able to monitor our nesting Great Horned Owls.  They began hanging out on the rim of the baskets which is a very good sign.  My guess is that they are no longer in the basket.  Well, the weaker one might still be there. There's always the one that lingers. Two are pretty bold and the third is a yawny follower:) Both owl parents have been near them during this transition period.  For the next several weeks, they will develop their leg strength as they learn to eat their prey and climb trees.  During the last part of May and beginning part of June, they will begin to fly.  

So there you have it!  It has been a pretty amazing week full of fun treks.  

 
The next several weeks will prove to be challenging and exciting as we get into migration more. I'd like to once again acknowledge Doug Taron and Margarette Brummermann for helping me out with the bug ID's. 

Spotted Towhee

Here's a parting glance at a Chitalpa blossom from the El Presidio garden:)  A little impressionism for you all:)

For more from other birders and their friends, check out Hootin' Anni's Chronicles and Wild Bird Wednesday. Until next time....