Seek And You Shall Find

Brian searches for the distant Common Crane

Talk about a spontaneous and fun weekend!!  A Common Crane (rare to the US) was spotted at Mormon Lake near Flagstaff, AZ.  Every birder,both in and out of the state, came to view this rare Eurasian migrant.  A scope was needed to spot this bird.

A little help with a scope.

Now, I've seen this bird twice.  Once in Europe and the other time in Roswell, New Mexico.  But I needed it for a state bird.  Anytime a new bird arrives into Arizona (and I don't have it on my state list), I go chase it.
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Common Crane

It's a pretty amazing crane as far as cranes go.  Once we spotted the bird, we had to make a decision.  Bird Flagstaff or bird Oak Creek Canyon. 

West Fork Campground at Oak Creek Canyon/Haddie, the dog, takes Magill for a walk

We made a great decision and decided to explore the incredibly beautiful Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona.  This place was FULL of our Western Warblers!

Red-winged Blackbird

Along the way we counted birds in the often chilly and shaded canyon.

In fact, this week has been an amazing one in that the weather has been COLD!  We had rain and overcast skies allowing us to enjoy our birding treks.  It has been unbearably hot this spring with one May day reaching 106 degrees!  Way too early for those temps. 

Jon heads near an area searching for rarities

During the week, I noticed something happening everywhere.  Warbler fallout.  It was a visible sign that a storm was soon arriving to our state. And it was moving from the Gulf of Mexico!  So we kept our eyes out for eastern rarities and migrants......

The brilliant colors of a Brewer's Blackbird in full sun

Back in the desert, little birds were beginning to leave their nests. 

Juvenile Black-tailed Gnatcatcher

It's easy to fall in love with the little fledglings as they learn how to become adult birds.  BUT, I have to be aware of the dangers around me.

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

I nearly messed myself when I saw this rattlesnake.  I like reptiles but snakes make my skin crawl.  Why was this snake hiding?

It was eyeing up these young Round-tailed Ground Squirrels nearby.  Meanwhile, the warblers began to grab my attention.  They were EVERYWHERE!  Every bush and every tree were full of them.  Normally they are difficult to spot but not this week!

Wilson's Warbler

Then it happened.  The second state bird arrived the following day after our Common Crane spot.  It was the rare and beautiful Blackpoll Warbler. 

Blackpoll Warbler

I stood for a couple hours trying to get these pictures of this very rare migrant.  This male is heading up to Alaska to breed but for some reason, he chose Tucson's Sweetwater Wetlands for a stop.

He stayed for several days and made several birders very happy.

After observing this bird for quite awhile, I packed up my gear and felt really happy. In fact I glowed for the next several days afterwards.  It's almost impossible to get two new state birds in one weekend anymore.  So it was a very satisfying weekend:)

Life is amazing.  And it's only getting better.  Until next time.....

Flat Landon and the Endangered Bird

Recently, I went on a trek with a good friend from Wisconsin, Flat Landon. He wanted to know what it was like to live in the state of Arizona.  

Stanley loved the California Poppies!

Landon was very happy to be in Tucson.  He told me that it was very cold in Wisconsin this time of year.  And I told him that it was one of the reasons why I moved to Arizona so many years ago. I asked him if he wanted to do some hiking outdoors with me to find a very special and rare bird.  Landon was excited!  So I gave him a pair of binoculars and together we set off to find a rare Rusty Blackbird. 

Curve-billed Thrasher

Before we took off, I had to talk with Landon about hiking in the Arizona deserts and mountains. 

So he put on his seat belt and off we went. 

Rule 1.  Always bring water with you.  The desert is hot and dry.  Water is very important during a hike.  So Landon brought along a reusable plastic bottle to fill with water.  He wanted to reduce the amount of plastic bottles thrown away.  What a smart guy!

Brewer's Blackbird

Landon found several blackbirds but they weren't the Rusty.  At one point, he forgot about our Saguaro Cactus(pronounced saw-gwa-row)!  He accidentally got stuck on one of our massive native Sonoran plants! Rule 2. Watch where you step. 

Landon pretended to smile.  But deep down, I knew he was hurting.  I've also fallen into several cactus myself during my hikes.  It really hurts!

As we moved into the mountains and along the great Salt River, Stanley asked me, "Why is the Rusty Blackbird so important?  It's just a bird."  

The Rusty Blackbird!!!

I told Landon that all life is important to our planet.  And we must protect these amazing creatures from extinction or we could face our own extinction. The Rusty Blackbird is in danger of disappearing forever and within our lifetimes:(

Landon was shocked!  He thought all endangered creatures were only found outside the US.  When he discovered that we had endangered mammals, birds, frogs, etc in the United States, he was sad.  I told him to keep hope.  When I was his age, there were only 22 California Condors left in the wild.  But today, after conservation efforts, there are over 425 Condors alive.

Just then, wild horses caught Landon's attention!  "What are those doing here?"  I told him that they were the last of the wild horses in the West. He responded, "Like from the time of cowboys?"  Yes. Now while I knew that these horses weren't good for the natural habitat of the Salt River, I kept it to myself.  It's good to let kids dream.  For now, it was a magical moment. 

Then Landon asked me what we could do to help out the Rusty Blackbird.  As I was about to respond, I noticed Landon walking along the rocks not paying attention.  As he was about to put his foot down, I yelled, "WATCH OUT!! YOU'RE ABOUT TO STEP ON A RATTLESNAKE!"

  Landon screamed.  And I screamed with him. Rule 3. Don't step on snakes. He was about to throw rocks at the snake.  When I stopped him from doing so, he asked me why we shouldn't kill the snake.  I told him that while I'm not a big fan of snakes, they serve a very important role in nature.  "But you screamed too?" And I may have messed my pants a little. My response was quick.  "In the desert, we have to watch where we step at all times." He smiled, "Wow!  You've got to keep your eyes open all the time.  Cactus, snakes, heat....what else?"  I thought about telling him about giant spiders and cats, but a snake was enough for one day. 

"Landon, you are the future caretaker of this planet.  The Rusty Blackbird migrates through Wisconsin in spring.  You asked me what you can do to help.  I'll tell you.  Today, we are going to record this bird and report her online to help scientists figure out a way to save her species and protect her home."

"So even I can save the Rusty Blackbird?", he asked.  "YES. We ALL can." For 25 minutes, we observed this special bird feed with the other birds along the shores of the river. 

After a wonderful day out, Landon was exhausted from the sun and the desert adventures. Once we returned back to Tucson, we submitted all the necessary data into ebird and AZFO.  Landon told me that he had a fun day out and wanted to go birding some more. YES!  A future birder!

I told him that we would go birding in the morning, but for now it was time to sleep.  Then he saw bats hanging from his ceiling.  However that is another story.  The Sonoran Desert is one of the most spectacular places on this planet. 

  Landon will have lots of stories to share when he heads back to Wisconsin:)  Until next time....

As Far As The Condor Flies

We had an adventure planned to the North Rim this past weekend.  It was to find as many nesting birds as we could.  And we did. We discovered so many nesting Williamson's Sapsuckers, Western Bluebirds, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and Brewer's Blackbirds!

Nesting Brewer's Blackbird

For many of us, it was to exhaust our pent up energy from being trapped inside of our homes. The desert is too hot right now to explore.  And so our hungry eyes and eager ears went to work as we scoured every nook and cranny of the much cooler North Rim.

Western Tanager

For many of us, our journey to the North Rim began with the infamous California Condors at Marble Canyon.  In many ways, I consider them the sentinels of the North Rim.  Travelers have to cross a magnificent bridge into a magical area known as the Vermilion Cliffs. It was here that the Condors circled and soared around us. For many in the group, these birds were lifers.  For me, I watched the birds and the people's first time reactions as they all stood in awe of these massive creatures in flight. 

California Condor

Our journey would lead us into the canyon down gravel and dirt roads. 

We set up our base inside an unknown and remote area.  No bathrooms or hotels.  Just our tents and coolers.  And it was magical. 

The rough camping isn't for everyone, but I thought it was a lot of fun.  I haven't done this kind of thing since college! Plus I got to camp with my birding buddy Gordon. 

Weidemeyer Butterfly

The area is not birded very well and so we did a lot of research on habitat as well as ask ourselves, "Can we find these birds here?"
So we searched for the elusive Dusky Grouse, Three-toed Woodpecker, and Flammulated and Northern Saw-whet Owls.

Two large vehicles of people drove through the dirt roads while sitting outside their windows and in the back of trucks filming everything around them....including the birders:) It was fascinating! They wore handmade outfits and unique hairstyles that I haven't seen in about two decades. Anyway, there were a lot of happy faces in the group waving at us. 

What lies beyond the horizon? On the following day, our incredible group of birders continued surveying the area along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We had plenty of laughs in our exhausted bodies.  The Flammulated and Northern Saw-whet Owls kept me awake!

In my zombie state, I pulled out my recorder to capture the Flammulated owl's soft calls.  It was a lifer for me.  

Having a couple laughs with Magill and Gordon

I watched Stellar's Jays go after nests.  Sometimes they would snatch a fledgling and eat them.  The parents would desperately chase them or try and lead the Jays away from the nest.  In the wild world, anything can happen at any moment. Everything must fight to survive. 

Evening Grosbeak

On this trip into the cool wild west, we made many wonderful discoveries.  It also allowed us to escape the heat and enjoy the majestic Grand Canyon. 

I'd like to thank Eric Hough for organizing this trip through AZFO. It was a real pleasure helping out. For more birds from around our world, check out Wild Bird Wednesday. 

And the adventure continues next week from another part of the world......