Meanwhile

Our Great Horned Owlets before leaving the next this year

We arrived back to Arizona and there was very little rest for me.  I had several projects and some guiding to do! Not only that, we had a fund raising event.  So I had to carefully weave my work schedule and birding forays together into one masterpiece of a lesson plan.

On the work front, I was busy watching over our Great Horned Owls.  They, once again, successfully hatched in our new nest box.  There are 3 beautiful new owlets in the world now.  It takes quite a bit of community outreach to educate the general public and school population about these birds.  Hopefully through my talks and data, more people are aware about how owls fledge. And hopefully the Freshmen learn that they do not eat hot and spicy Cheetos. Ugh! It's the same conversation EVERY year.  Everyone thinks they're injured when they find them on the ground.  In most cases, this is not true.  Great Horned Owls need to develop leg strength first and THEN their wings develop. They flop out of their nest and stay close to a bush or tree for cover. The parents are usually close by watching and protecting them. It's funny watching them begin their first flight:)  Here's a recent video of the birds after they fledged. 

On the guiding front, I met a new friend and birder from Florida by the name of Homer.  It was his first time to Arizona which means he got to do the Southeastern Arizona sampler with some of the fun extras that are rare to the US. 

We had a blast looking for all kinds of great birds around Southeastern Arizona. This guy was serious and he was "no holds barred"! He's a great birder and was ready for the challenge. Every morning he was ready to go!  It's the adrenaline of being in a new space.  I smile because his energy was contagious and it was fun finding life birds. 

Bendire's Thrasher

There's nothing quite like birding in Arizona.  I love this state and I love my birds. I just bird local areas now unless something good comes into the state, but even then, I think I'm slowing down on the chases. Like most of you reading this blog, we watch birds from our local patches.  I have become more interested in behaviors. But when a friend comes to visit for a good chase, I'm ready for the challenge. Homer is a fantastic photographer and I hope he comes back again to visit. 

Gambel's Quail

We spent some time in Box Canyon searching for some incredible birds.  But I also couldn't get over these amazing views!

The beautiful Box Canyon

Meanwhile the dramas of public education played out during my daytime job.  We are losing teachers and no one cares.  Promises are broken and the majority of parents have come to see education as a glamorized babysitting clinic.  It's a bit scary.  I do my part and try and build community in my classroom.  On this day, we celebrate our year's accomplishments. 

Cascarones Day, a celebration before finals

We took a bus of students over to the Biosphere where I took my readings of nesting Barn Swallows on the grounds.  Everything looks fine in that area. Thanks to Lori for organizing the event! 

During this time, me and Mr. Gordon took a side trip over to Texas and New Mexico.  Those posts are coming. 

Bell's Vireo

My friend Celeste came to visit and she had never been to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum. And I was itching for a road trip with Betty.  

It was a gorgeous day FULL of birds.  The exciting find for us there was a Red-eyed Vireo!  It was a new state bird for me.  I should have been more excited, but I have to admit, it was really about the company and once again, great weather, birds and views. 

Boyce Thompson Arboretum

I wasn't done.  Yes, I am mentally and physically exhausted.  I have been going non-stop since March.  One of my last things I got to do before diving into my work full time was join our Wrenegades team once again to fund raise for Tucson Audubon. We did it once again and this year our Birdathon raised over 35,000 dollars! 

the Wrenegades strike again!

I have discovered that I now have a bunion.  Bunions are real and they hurt like crazy.  So I need to wear wider shoes.  Plantar fasciitis is also real.  Good gods!  I both love and hate getting older!

Bushtit

It has been a fun ride to the end of this school year.  

Grace's Warbler

This summer is going to have a small change of plans from my normal birding treks.  My Dad had a triple bypass surgery recently and I wanted to be home with my family to help out.  But before I do go home, I'll be stopping in Maine with Kathie and Gus for some fun birding. 

climbing Tumamoc Hill and counting birds

 This year has been difficult for so many people.  I'd like you all to keep Kathy Cooper in your thoughts.  If you've followed this blog over the years, you'll know she has been the wind beneath our wings at the Aribabi Ranch.  This weekend she fights for her life at the hospital. I went to visit last night and I wish I were here to help her daughter out but I've got to head back to be with my Dad.  To top it off, Kathie's hubby, Gus, had a stroke this last week.  So please keep these peeps in your thoughts. They're all wonderful people.

Kathy on the Aribabi Ranch doing a land survey

The human condition, birding, mentors, work, relationships and everything else can be a real challenge.  The only thing I can do is be there with good energy for the people who have done so much for me in my life.  I can only hope to pass on their knowledge from what they've taught me.  It's not that we won't find birds together; we will.  But this year, it's about being present. Next week we take a trek to Texas to search for several endemics!  

We discover a secret pond in the foothills and I collect data with Lori and Tami

Life truly is an amazing adventure!  Until next time.....

Crazy Daisy

Five-striped Sparrow

Every year, I wonder how I'll end up seeing the Five-striped Sparrow in Arizona because somehow I always do. I never plan on searching for the bird but it's the birding community that demands to see this very special sparrow.  So once again this year, birder friends from Wisconsin really needed to end the search for their nemesis sparrow.  It was the last one on their list for the lower 48 of the US.  In Phoenix, my friends take people to see the LeConte's Thrasher.  Down here, it's the Red-faced Warbler and Five-striped Sparrow that people want to see. 

A very bright Warbling Vireo!

Last year in December, I had some sort of sinus infection that affected my hearing loss.  For several months, I wasn't able to hear the lower/softer hoot/chip notes of the birds and I became a little scared. The allergies/sinus infection cleared up and my ears are back to 100 percent again.  The reason I share this story?  Had I not heard the chip notes of the bird, I wouldn't have been able to pinpoint the location of the Five-striped Sparrow on the hillside. My eyes are soooo bad, but my ears act like my binoculars and locating beacons. 

Veined Ctenucha Moth

So as we all searched for birds, we noticed lots of wonderful bugs (and a snake!)  It's fun helping people find their birds and teaching them their calls.  

We did VERY well that day.  We heard and saw all of the Southern Arizona specialties like the Northern Beardless Tyrannulet, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Elegant Trogon, Sulfur-bellied Flycatchers, Five-striped Sparrow and even heard Montezuma Quail!  

I have to say though, the female Elegant Trogon was SILENT and I would have missed that one completely if it wasn't for Tom's eyes!  Even with his scope, I had a hard time finding the bird.  The female blended in perfectly with her surroundings at a very healthy distance (so for Tom to spot this bird with his binoculars was epic).  

Tiny Checkerspot

We had beautiful weather that day in Box and Florida Canyons.  

If you come to Southern Arizona this time of year, it's hard NOT to notice all the insects.  There are SO MANY strange and beautiful looking bugs. 

Sleepy Orange

 States in the US continue reporting a decline in bee populations.  I'm not sure if that's happening here in Arizona.  But again, I'm not sure if they've done research in the state.  What I can tell you is that I've observed healthy populations of bee species here in Southern Arizona.  I don't see the Sonoran Bumble Bee often, but then again, I'm not looking for it while on my treks.  I try to stay away from the buggier trails like the DeAnza trail this time of year.  I showed Tom and Carol a piece of this awesome trail and now I am regretting it with all the chigger bites:)  Chiggers are the worst!  

As we said our good-byes for the morning, we took a photo remembering the awesome views of the Five-striped Sparrow.  No longer a nemesis for these two amazing birders.  

An awesome moment!  Note to self, hair cut needed and that hat I'm wearing makes me look goofy

As I headed home looking forward to a shower from the suspect chigger attack on my legs, I looked over at the water treatment plant to see if I could spot the rare Brown Pelican.  I saw the bird and I saw a ton of birders there.  The pelican has been at this spot for weeks now. Surely they weren't there for that bird.  I continued down the highway and something inside of me told me to check the listserv.  Sure enough, another common but rare migrant for this time of year, the Sabine's Gull, was hanging out at the Amado WTP.  I high tailed it back to that spot to add this bird to my Pima County list.  

Sabine's Gull

There are several lifetime goals as a birder in general.  First priority, life birds.  Second priority, AZ State birds.  Third priority, Pima County birds. On this day I added Lucifer Hummingbird, Sabine's Gull and Five-striped Sparrow to my Pima County list.  Super exciting!  That doesn't happen very often!

While there, yet another state bird was being reported, the Roseate Spoonbill.  And not just one but TWO!  So Deborah Carney said let's go and I said ok.  I wasn't feeling the drive alone to Willcox after a busy morning out so I am grateful to her for driving and her optimism even after they were reported GONE!  It didn't change the fact that we were heading to Willcox.  It's a beautiful location and the sunsets are incredible.  The smell isn't so good because there is sewage here but if you plug your nose....

After not seeing the spoonbills, I began to watch the birders and just take in the surroundings.  This soft spoken birder took advantage of the cooler breezy weather to walk the grasslands around the "lake".  Just speaking with him made me feel at ease.  

There we stood, Deborah, this kind man and myself watching the White-faced Ibis settle in for the evening.  We watched for Lesser Nighthawks but no luck.  I went over the nighthawk calls with both birders and told them to listen for the "rarer" Common Nighthawk that could be passing through the area. I've had them here in the area before.  I was with Ms. Kathie Brown the first time we heard them so many years ago.  And on this night we were rewarded with a couple loud "PEENTS".  Not a bad way to end the day.  Until next time.....

PS.  This is the best time of year to see our butterflies!  They are everywhere!

Painted Lady

Out On A Limb

Sometimes I find myself out in the middle of nowhere searching for a bird.  Of course, there are the wins and the losses known as "dipping" or "finding the target bird".  I've gotten to the point now that I will find what I find and try to get the best observation and documentation that I can while out in the field.

Rufous-crowned Sparrow

The wins are absolutely thrilling.  A strange bird flew into the bushes. It was a sparrow.  Or was it a towhee??  I needed to be sure because the behavior was different.  During this day, both Kathie and myself found ourselves in Box Canyon in the Santa Rita mountains. For this one particular bird, I pished and pished with all my heart.  And the bird came out.  For several minutes, we looked at one another.  It was indeed a sparrow....just not one I had seen before.  Large.  Angular bill.  And an interesting looking crown. And so it would be that I would spot the Rufous-crowned Sparrow. A lifebird.

Black-throated Sparrow

If I find my "target bird" on that outing, everything else for that day is gravy.  Then I begin to play with my photography more on random things like the Black-throated Sparrow.  In Arizona, we have almost every sparrow possible(minus a few) and it's rather exciting and frustrating all at once.  While they can be tricky to ID, they make me a better birder.

Red-tail Hawk with Loggerhead Shrike

Sometimes I(we) dip on the target birds.  And I will get frustrated.  When that happens, I find that taking creative shots from already known birds helps take the edge off of the hunt. We will travel hours into strange places to find those uncommon birds.  During our visit into Box Canyon, Kathie blew out a tire on the dirt road.  What normally would have been a stressful moment turned into a fun practice changing tires.  It felt good changing that tire.  And at the end, no stress involved.

Cooper's Hawk

Back at home, the hawks continue to circle my feeders.  I'm trying to attract Orioles, but not when there are Cooper's flying around!  But still, I do like their visits:)

Savannah Sparrow

And yet another sparrow....the Savannah Sparrow. We've hiked and hiked miles upon miles.  If my Doctor gives me a hard time about exercise, I'm going to give her an ear full:) This passion requires one to be in somewhat good shape.  I've met several people now who love birds but can't get into the difficult/dangerous areas needed to view them.  An older man sat with reflective eyes on a concrete slab and asked if we had seen the Rufous-capped Warbler at Florida Canyon.  He couldn't climb the huge slippery rock to access the upper canyon trail.  I could see that he really really wanted to climb up that slippery rock.  If it hadn't been for his spouse, he may have tried the hike up that slippery rock:)  It's the same one that Kathie fell from. I am reminded to seize the day now because who knows what tomorrow will bring.

I was thrilled that Kathie finally found her Arizona Woodpecker.  Lovely birds, they are.  But even better with a sillouette shot next to the agave stalk.

These trips must be calculated precisely.  We never waste time searching for birds, but why drive all those miles without a plan?  Maybe not having a plan is better, but then again, missing out on some rare birds can be a kicker.

Box Canyon before the blowout

Arizona is full of diverse habitat.  I am sometimes astonished at just how large this state is!  And there are times, I will pause to feel the wind against my face.  Why else hike?  Why else spend money on gas?  Isn't there something bigger out there than birds?  Birds are awesome, but so are the landscapes, wildlife sightings and random lunches/dinners in bizarre diners.

Roosevelt Lake

Finding the target birds within nice camera range can be difficult and not always possible.  In my next post, I'll write about those lifebirds who escaped my camera lens.

Recently, I've made treks to the Grand Canyon to find the nesting CA Condors. 7 miles of hiking! I brought camelbacks for the trek.  I dipped on the Condors, but picked up Red Crossbills, Common Goldeneyes, American Crows, Pygmy Nuthatches and Pinyon Jays.  So one trade is made for another.  Sometimes you are alone.  Sometimes you are with a friend.  And sometimes you spot a friendly rival birder on the road beeping their car at you as they drive off to their next secret destination.  I then wonder, "So what did they see?"  On our time in the mountains of Flagstaff, I'd dip on pictures of the Rough-legged hawk and Evening Grosbeaks!  Drats:)  But I did see some awesome elk up close:) Sometimes, I am much too difficult on myself.  "What are those bird sounds?  Who is that? Stay put!"  My friends have a good time as the views and hikes are great.  Plus they learn something in the process.  Sometimes they wonder where I am taking them, but I always assure them that it's legit.  Plus the game is afoot.  Keep the eyes and ears open for anything that moves! And it becomes a game of exercise for the brain and body.  It's exhausting at times. While I'm with Kathie, I'm the student.  When I'm with photographers/friends, I tend to be the teacher.  No one is left out on a limb.  Together we play, learn and grow.  And thank the bird gods for those Sibley Guides!!!

Loggerhead Shrikes may dart.

European Starling

European Starlings may watch.

But the adventures will continue......