The Last Stretch of the Year

Bridled Titmouse

Wandering through the elevations of Arizona state, we stop and glance at the various birds around us.

I marvel at the intelligence of the Common Raven.

Ravens, hawks and a condor look like tiny specks against the mighty Grand Canyon.

Along the rim, a Pygmy Nuthatch bops around on the ground looking for food.

We stop and carefully look over the edge.

Winter birds begin to arrive and we see them in great numbers.

Western Grebe

The rains and the cool weather force leaves to change color.

Birds normally secretive in summer, like the Canyon Wren below, pop up for a longer linger.

Birds and berries evoke thoughts of making a holiday card.

I'll be honest.  I am tired.  Exhausted.  So many feelings.  So much stress.

Blue-throated Hummingbird

If it wasn't for friends and birds, I'd think I'd go insane.

A special friend from Wales makes a visit to southern Arizona.  Hello Ms. Bonnie!

We have arrived at the final chapters of this year. There is still work to do, but for now, it's all about the enjoyment of birds.

It has been an amazing year for las Aventuras.  As always, thank you for following the adventure!

This post is dedicated to Barb Padgett who was a strong supporter of Tucson Audubon.  She passed away last week at the age of 65.  I will miss her chats about Star Trek, government and so many other things.  I never met her in person, but I got to know her via Facebook.  Thank you Barb for everything you've done in the birding world.  Thank you for supporting and believing in me. When I see a Yellow-headed Blackbird, I will know that you are with me in spirit.  You are loved by so many people.  Thank you for everything.

The Highs and Lows

The carpeted green valley below Kitt Peak

Lately, I've been focused on the job that pays for my health insurance.  The start of the new year for every teacher is a tricky one.  If you set the tone right during the first several weeks, the rest of the year is perfection when it comes to classroom management.  On top of the main job, I've also been working on our house project that includes lots and lots of planning.  And on the weekends, I eagerly escape to go birding with friends. 

a Canyon Wren plays hide and go seek with us

Gordon came down for the weekend and we decided to do fun birding in cooler settings.  Kitt Peak was new for Gordon and it was just a nice get away from the heat.  For the first time in a LONG time, we should have brought our sweatshirts!  It was cold!  What a wonderful thing!

Yarrow's Spiny Lizard

 In fact, this is the end of summer for us.  It's the height of insects and migrating birds and bats.  September is so GREEN and buggy!  This is the best time of year for butterflies.  The trails are full of them!

a stock photo from several years ago on Kitt Peak.  This is the area we covered birding

We headed south of Tucson towards Sells on the Indian Reservation.  There's a peak that has telescopes on it.  And that's where we birded the morning finding lots of fun birds.  

Mexican Jay

We found Mexican Jays collecting acorns from an oak tree. 

juvenile Mexican Jay

 Spotted Towees appeared to be marking territories for yet another nest.  

Spotted Towhee

Meanwhile butterflies stole the show. 

Bordered Patch Butterfly

Down below in the valley, the wildflower show was incredible.  The rains have been good to Southern Arizona and the oranges, blues, purples, reds, yellows and pinks are confirmation of a happy desert. 

Arizona Poppy

One area was thick with wildflowers.  A beautiful carpet made by nature. 

Trailing Windmills

 There was no shortage of bugs. I try to escape the chiggers and mosquitoes, but they somehow find me. 

Plains Lubber Grasshopper

 The heat finally ends our Saturday of birding fun.  Sunday comes and we were looking forward to exploring Reddington Pass.  This was another new area for Gordon, but as we exited our place, we hit a wall of heat and changed the plans. 

American Snout

We wanted an easy place to bird, get water, have a nice lunch and see fun things.  The Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum was the perfect fit.  While it's technically a "museum", it's much more than a building full of crap.  Here you can explore the wild spaces and see lots of real and wild critters that hang inside and outside of cages.  It's a great place to look for desert birds like the Cactus Wren or Gilded Flicker. 

Gordon and Micheal scour the Desert Museum property for butterflies, lizards, birds and other odd insects

Another unique species that lives on the grounds is an iguana that has survived decades on the property.  

San Esteban Island x Sonoran Spiny-tailed Iguana

Meanwhile we checked out the other critters hanging out around the riparian/desert corridor of the museum grounds.

male Bighorn Sheep struts his stuff

Eventually we made it to the aviary.  This year, I have spoken with many people about this subspecies of Northern Bobwhite below. The Masked Bobwhite is VERY rare and can only be found at the very close border of Mexico and Arizona on a few ranch lands.

the extinct-in-the-wild subspecies of Northern Bobwhite(Masked Quail)

They are breeding these birds to release in the wild, but even when we go to study them in the cages, they can be difficult to see!  So it was a real treat to find that this pair had mated....and had a chick!

I know it's a caged bird, but it's so rare in the wild that practically no one has seen these birds at all beyond a stuffed model on display for what used to live in the grasslands. To see them like this close up was spectacular. Over the years, I've seen only one in the aviary and she was always hiding.  Not on this day!

And that chick was adorable. 

After work, I'm exhausted.  The heat drains the life out of me. The mornings are lovely and it's really the only time to do any birding.  You get a 4 hour window and that's it.

Olive-sided Flycatcher

A lovely win for the week was an Olive-sided Flycatcher hanging out at my local patch that I monitor weekly.  And a very human downer happened when I misidentified a juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron for a super rare Yellow-crowned Night-Heron.  To be fair to myself, many others thought it was a juvi Yellow-crowned Night-Heron as well.

American Avocet

I got two minutes to look at the bird from a distance, snapped my shots and then had to wait until I got home to look at them.  Magill got home before I did and looked at the pics up close and said, "Nope.  This is a juvenile Black-crowned."  Our hearts sunk.  The ID is a tricky one, but next time I'll be looking at that bill better. 

Birding in Dateland and surrounding areas for shorebirds

The juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-Heron has an all dark conical bill where the juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron can have some yellow in the bill. Oh well.  You win most and lose a few every once and awhile.

Black-crowned Night-Heron

We randomly explore the state and search for something fun to show up. I wouldn't do it alone as it's more fun birding with friends during this nasty and beautiful time of year. We motivate each other to bird during these trying times. Migration is upon us and every day, there is something just waiting to be found.  Will you find it?  Until next time.

¡Qué Locura!

A Raccoon is exposed!

These past few weeks have been a crazy time for me.  I've been out with family, friends and clients while trying to maintain my sanity at work.  And I found myself too tired to write. 

Twilight at Columbus Park in Tucson

My only personal birding happened after work for several days along the Santa Cruz river corridor in Tucson with the hope that I would spot at least one Common Black Hawk for my Pima County list. They are coming through the area right now in good numbers. Best time to see them is in the morning and late afternoon when they take off/land. No luck yet but I still hold hope. 

Sora

Meanwhile they did their yearly burn at the Sweetwater Wetlands. After the burn, it's an excellent time to spot birds like the Virginia Rail or Sora. And maybe a racoon. Or two. Or three....:)

And honestly.  I have been more into the hiking around our mountains.  It isn't uncommon to do a 5 or 10 mile hike on the weekend.  The views are stunning!

Viewing the beautiful riparian area of Madera Canyon from the trails above

So while out on some of those trails, I did some guiding for people looking for some rare birds.  I've seen the birds many times below, but my guests have not so it was all about them getting the nice shots.  And that's how it has been for me.  It's more about the search lately and not about getting the best pic.

Rare birds are everywhere.  You just need to know where to look.  Left to Right, Cassin's Finch, Painted Redstart, Elegant Trogon, Rufous Hummingbird, Steller's Jay, Rufous-backed Robin, Sinaloa Wren, Lincoln's Sparrow, juvenile Bald Eagle

I enjoy seeing the smiles as they discover their first lifers.

A vocal Canyon Wren

At another level, I'm planning for a very tricky adventure in a few days.  Normally chasing birds isn't too difficult on your own, but there are a few locations around the world that require me to be careful and hire help. 

Pied-billed Grebe

I look forward to the challenges ahead.  It has turned out to be a year of unexpected surprises.  While it has been "slow" for the state list, it has been, so far, a solid regular year for visitors to find some of Arizona's specialty birds.

Snow Goose

I monitor parks, hawk migration, etc and I keep finding cool birds that are rare for those locations which has been exciting.

Red-tailed Hawk

My life has been changing.  My transition from education into the birding world has been flawless and maybe a little ahead of schedule.  I am ready to be a full time guide but I can't. Not yet. The early days of birding were so much fun.  While birding is still fun, it has turned into theory and detective work which ultimately has changed the free spirited nature of the activity. To stay on top of my game and help others, I have to research out in the field.  And some birds I know better than others.

Broad-billed Hummingbird

I find that I am exhausted much of the time by living two completely different lives. Mondays are my worst days because I don't recharge on Sunday like I should.  I feel the most alive when I am on the trails.  Then when I'm in the real world, I feel like a robot living a life of routine.  Maybe that's what has kept me grounded.

Mexican Jay

Either way, it's not a complaint. Today, so many options have unexpectedly opened up for me and I can say that I am now ready to "be the change I wish to see in this world." It has, however, taken me several years to get to this point in my life.

Wild Turkey

I continue monitoring and researching critically endangered birds around the world.  Some are making a comeback.  Others are not.  This weekend, I found out that the White-backed Vulture below used in a raptor education program at the Arizona Renaissance Faire is needed for an important breeding program in the US. Their numbers in the wild have plummeted this year to alarming numbers.  Seeing a wild bird is an incredible thing.  To see it at a show in an educational setting is cool, but it's not the same thing.  And to know that a rescued bird in this educational setting was recalled back for an emergency repopulation attempt makes me sad. The good news is that this vulture has successfully nested with his mate this year.

White-backed Vulture taken back in 2013

Finally, this week, I had a smile.  Apparently I have been sharing a lot of my anger towards vaping and drugs on campus.  Several students put this poster together and gave me a smile.  Maybe they are listening.  I hope they are listening. I may be hard on them, but I want what's best for them because I care.

What is Juuling?  It's another way of vaping nicotine or marijuana.

I'll be on the road this Friday and will hopefully have some exciting news for you all when I get back from my trip.  There is a certain sparrow I am looking for....and it's endangered. Until next time.....