Terns Of Endearment

Western Tiger Swallowtail

I wish we could have slowed down our time in California.  It was such a nice stay full of great birds and memories.  We stayed close to the beach and had fun looking at the birds along the shoreline. 

Arctic Tern-blood red/orange thickish shorter bill

Besides the many Brown Pelicans, we also saw many terns.  The previous week in Arizona, we had a super rare Arctic Tern show up at a local watering hole. It had been my only tern for the year which was rather surprising!  Usually a Forster's or Least Tern shows up in April first.  Instead it was the super rare Arctic Tern.  Okay!  I'll take it. 

We did well staying away from people, but people gravitated towards each other and we had to be conscience of this.  Thankfully Cheroot, the wonder dog, helped maintain social distance with his grouchy demeanor. He's really not grouchy.  He loves hanging with his friends, but he doesn't like strangers! Or dogs off their leash!  I don't have a dog because I'm a cat person but dog owners are sometimes so irresponsible. Sure, you're dog is friendly and so am I.  However, some dogs are not friendly and are put on a leash for a reason(besides it being the law! to protect wildlife) "Free dogs" who are social put themselves in danger by running up to defensive pooches.  It was a new element to our birding that I hadn't much thought about.  A lady in Balboa Park laughed and said her unleashed dog was friendly and that it was "okay".  Yes, we love your dog, but Cheroot will rip the dog apart because of your negligence!  If I were a cat, I'd hiss. 

Forster's Tern

Let's talk about birds. While at the beach, we were noticing a lot of terns flying over our heads.  And with a closer look, we noticed quite a few species of tern.  My friend Celeste mentioned there was black at the tip of the bill.  That narrowed the bird down to a Caspian or Forster's Tern.  I saw her bird and then noticed it had a thin orange bill with a beautiful tail pattern.  Forster's. But what were the other terns?!

The next tern we saw breeds in the same area as the Snowy Plovers.  And sure enough, a Least Tern flew over our heads.  They weren't as numerous as the other species and an easy one to ID.  Small tern with a yellow bill. 

Least Tern

Wildlife and visitors continued along the beach of Southern California.  In one area, we had both Harbor Seals (or Common Seal) in one colony while several rocks over, we saw a huge group of California Sea Lions.  

Harbor Seals

It's tricky for birders.  Terns are magnificent creatures, but they aren't always easy in their varied plumage.  Often I go with the bill as a field mark.  We were lucky as we had clear marks.  I start getting into trouble when both Arctic and Common terns are in the same area.  Then there's the Elegant Tern vs the Royal Tern.  We did see a few Royal Terns while we were there. Let's take a look.

Royal Tern

Here's a shot of both species.  Royal Terns will also have the black cap.  This one does not.  The bills are slightly thicker with the Royal Tern.  The tern also has a paler orange/yellow coloring. 

Elegant Tern

When you look at the Elegant Tern, you'll see a longer skinnier orange bill.  It's also a large and elegant tern. REALLY:)  These terns are more common along the coast of Southern California right now and were the predominant tern species over the waters. 

Another tern that I know well is the Caspian Tern. It breeds along the shores of Lake Michigan in my home state of Wisconsin.  This tern is widespread and a bulky tern with a heavy orange bill with a dark end. This was the second most common tern species along the coastal waters.  

Caspian Tern

During the in between time, we'd all sit and enjoy the shade.  The ocean is great but the sun can still be very strong.  We found shade and charged our batteries under a tree full of Allen's Hummingbirds. 

A tern that I had been wanting to observe in the wild finally happened on this trek.  All of my friends have seen this species except me:)  That was such a wonderful discovery.  I thought I had seen one fly over my head.  My heart skipped a beat and my pace quickened on the beach towards the salt marsh.  These birds were outside the clouds of terns over the estuary.  They were fishing from the calmer waters of the salt marsh.  Easy to ID with that nice black bill. 

Gull-billed Tern

Where did we see all these terns?  Well, we found them at Imperial Beach along the Tijuana Slough that borders the ocean front.   Here is the list that we generated from our walk. Directions to get there are in the report.  One bird we did not see was the Ridgway's Rail which is often found there in good numbers.  But we didn't time our visits to the tide.  When the tide rises, you have a better chance of spotting this very cool and endangered rail. 

The end of the pier behind Celeste is where you can find the Pelagic Cormorants, when it opens again.  Great eats along that road as well

I want to also share with you that it's possible to observe all three cormorants in this area.  The most common cormorants seen are the Brandt's and Double-crested Cormorants.  The more difficult one can be the Pelagic.  But for some reason, the purplish hues of the beautiful Pelagic Cormorant love the end of the big Imperial Beach pier.  Even though the pier was closed, I did spy one bird fly towards the end of it. 

Brandt's Cormorant

It was a lovely walk.  The past two posts covered 5 principal areas of what I think are San Diego's premier birding spots.  There's a few more but we avoided those areas due to high human traffic.  We stayed near Balboa Park which is a really nice walk and full of great birds including the exotics.  We spied Red-crowned and Yellow-headed Parrots with Red-headed Parakeets.  Also feeding from the grasses were the Scaly-breasted Munia. 

Other stops included the beautiful Imperial Beach and Tijuana Slough, La Jolla coastal area, Torrey-Pines State Park, the Bird and Butterfly Garden near the Tijuana border, and Sunset Cliffs Natural Park where we saw this beautiful California Thrasher below. 

California Thrasher

If anything, this trek inspired me to get on the road soon.  But something was holding me back.  I'm glad I waited.  The bird gods have been kind to the birding community in Arizona. 

Maybe not exciting, but I think beautiful, the Western Gulls were nesting along the coastal cliffs. 

Western Gull

On our way home, we spied this very young Green Heron at a park in Yuma, AZ.  At one point I had to take this poor little heron out of the pond because a girl ran up to it and forced it into the water. It barely could swim. It needed a few days to get more strength. She knew what she was doing and it pissed me off. Back in the day, you could yell at kids freely(or talk to them nicely). I was hungry and grouchy and not in the mood to deal with kids. So instead, I had a talk with her mother while giving her the death stare. Then I rescued the little bird who couldn't get out of the pond due to the concrete pond wall being too high.  Hope this little one is okay.  Just needs a few days to strengthen up.  

juvenile Green Heron

So if you are chasing terns along the coast of Southern California, here are the terns we saw most to least being the Least:)

1. Elegant Tern-the most common
2. Caspian Tern
3. Forster's Tern
4. Gull-billed Tern
5. Royal Tern
6. Least Tern

We're back in Southern Arizona enduring the heat and wildfires.  Please think good thoughts for our Mt. Lemmon.  The Bighorn Fire was caused by a lightning strike for about a week now. As we were arriving back into Tucson, we hit the huge lightning storm. It has done some major damage to the mountain. I hope we can get it under control. Fire is good but it's not cool when you have your friend's home in danger of getting burned down.  It's painful to watch the wildlife flee their homes off the mountain.  June is already a stressful time for all the critters with water and heat being major factors. And the smoke! Is it covid or smoke that's causing the headaches? It's one thing after another these days. Next week, we take a longer and deeper look into the magic of Southeastern Arizona birding. 

Not my image, from ABC 15 news

As The Caspian Tern Flies

As I balanced family outings with birds, I found the Caspian Tern always nearby. 

Purple Coneflower

I tried focusing on the birds, but there were schedules to maintain and lots of fun family outings. If we weren't watching the little ones, we'd find them drinking out of the bird bath!  Baby J was taking birding to a whole new level!

My sister looked into the flames to glance the future.  "The night is dark and full of terrors."

Meanwhile my mother's own dragon, her macaw, sized me up.  "To bite or not to bite?  That was the question."  He let me know that I could rub under the wings but he wouldn't guarantee that he wouldn't bite me.  So.....that was a no go. 

Azul, our Blue-and-gold Macaw

Between the fun, I'd run to the shoreline and watch birds.

Or we'd take the nephews and nieces out to have some fun at several of our amazing nature centers. 
Hopefully, their curiosity grows into something lifelong. 

My nephews were fascinated by the fish. 

I think I spent most of my time outdoors and as much time as I could along the lake.  

Great Blue Heron

On this one perfect day, the wildflowers gave off a scent along the lakefront.  Have you ever had that moment of perfection standing alone in nature?   You know.  The kind that overloads all the senses at once and gives you a natural high?  Picture this. Brightly colored wildflowers swaying against the shore as the waves lap against the rock. The fragrant air gently kissing the skin. And when touch, smell, sight and sound all work together, it makes the body tingle with happiness. 

Family snaps me out of my reverie. And on that same day we replace an old light fixture with a fun one. 

Then it would be back to the lake watching birds again. 

Lesser Yellowlegs

Sometimes we had double trouble:) Both bird and human alike!

And there were yummy dinners.

And then it was back to the lakeshore.  Or river. 

Song Sparrow

After an expired milk mishap, both my younger sister and I cleaned out our parent's fridge. Lots of expired foods had to be thrown out. When carrots start looking like the one below, it tells you something. However, this carrot is still edible. Or rather.....was edible. 

On Game of Thrones night, we had homemade Frey Pie.  Very tasty!

Our lives contain many different chapters.  The birds are timeless fixtures that dot the background of our life story. Whenever I see these birds now, memories surface from the moments I first saw them. And they take me back to that page in time so that I can reread it and savor the moment all over again.    

As the Caspian Tern flies, I stand with Chuck Sontag, my Dad, Gordon, and countless others reliving our first moments together observing these birds.  My very first moment with this bird was with Micheal at the Salton Sea in California. I was just beginning this grand adventure. After years of birding and thousands of miles later, I am at a different place now in my life.  The great seas await me.  Unexplored birding territories in the Spanish speaking world require my eyes. 

As I end my Wisconsin journeys, I reflect on THIS chapter of my life. I am so happy that I could share so many years with my Grandmother as we birded her backyard together.  Just last year, she discovered the Eastern Phoebe. She had seen it for years but never knew the name.  Now whenever I see an American Goldfinch, Baltimore Oriole or Ruby-throated Hummingbird, I will think of her because those were HER favorite birds.  She would tell me to continue my journey and write more chapters! 

In October, we head back to Colorado for some fun. 

And I still have to write 2 more posts from our Costa Rican adventures! I also had some fun with Tucson Audubon as I lead several trips to our grasslands and the infamous Madera Canyon.  I'll also be heading back to Mexico at the end of the month to do my final and last good-bye to a ranch that gave me several important lifers. There will always be good-byes and hellos. And that has taught me to cherish each and every moment. Next week, we'll be heading back to Costa Rica and exploring the beautiful Talamanca Highlands with Serge Arias.  Until next time..... 

Meandering Along The Lakeshore

The iconic lighthouse in Manitowoc

I thought that I'd be in Arizona for the last part of my summer holiday. Then my Grandmother passed and the rest of my summer break was spent in Wisconsin with family. While most of us had plenty of time to grieve, it's my mother who has not had the time to sit down and process it all. She was in charge of the will and getting the funeral together.  As we discovered, even though Grandma set it all up beforehand, it was still quite a bit of work.  I learned a lot from my mom on this trip about funeral arrangements and understanding how to execute a will!

So while my mother was working with her siblings on the estate etc, my Dad began processing what her passing meant to him. "We're next," he said, referring to the last of their parent's dying. He has always had a morbid fascination with death.  Rarely does life ever play by our rules. Who says he's next?  But I can see his point as this was the first time that I actually felt "older". There's a quote that I've heard from over the years that follows my Dad's thoughts. "The only way children can come into their own is by the death of their parents."  And speaking of children, I was so glad to see all my nieces and nephews.  Their laughter and fun helped distract the adults from their own heavy thoughts.  

The night before, I couldn't sleep.  She wanted me and my brother to sing "Amazing Grace." I tossed and turned jotting down notes for what I needed to get done.  I knew that if I didn't do the song, I would have been upset with myself. She often mentioned during our visits that she wanted us both to sing for her one last time. The only reason I didn't want to do it was due to the tears. So I practiced in the car on the way to the funeral home over and over.  Each time I sang that damn song, I choked up.  But in the end, we did it and I hope she liked it:)

During the whole trip, her presence was felt. We'd ask a question like, "Who was Grandma's friend in Louisiana?  Wasn't it Denise something or other?" Then as if on cue, my Mom opened Grandma's desk drawer and found the note with Denise's name and address!  And this didn't happen just once.  It made us laugh because in life, she was always on top of things overseeing every single detail.  In death, she was still there making sure my Mom was on top of things:)

Red-eyed Vireo

Some people go to church.  I bird. That's where I find my peace of mind.  After the funeral, I stayed in Wisconsin instead of heading back to Arizona.  Why not?  My break ends in August and the weather in Wisconsin is lovely. Between helping the family, visiting family and spending more time with family, I've been able to do a little birding on the side.  

the car ferry of Manitowoc

I've been feeling tired lately of chasing birds.  And when it came time for birding, I made the decision to do the kind of birding I enjoy the most, grassland and lakeshore habitats.  There comes a point in a birder's life when the birding chases for hours in car come to an end.  I found a few rarities for the state but it wasn't because I chased the birds.  They just happened to be there. Other birders went to see my rarities and it felt nice that I could help out. I did a lot of habitat study this time for birds that theoretically could be found in Manitowoc County.  While I didn't find a rare Henslow's Sparrow, I was able to locate an Eastern Whip-poor-will 10 minutes away from my home!

Sandhill Cranes-an adult with the juvenile

I stopped at all my favorite local watering holes and collected the July data for Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary, Horicon Marsh, Collin's Marsh, Point Beach State Forest, the Lakeside hotspots known as the Manitowoc Impoundment and North Point in Sheboygan, and Washington Island up in Door County.  These would be normal hotspots for a Northeastern Wisconsin birder.  Horicon Marsh and Washington Island would be the extreme ranges for a Two Rivers or Manitowoc birder. 

Marsh Wren

The forests are full of mosquitoes and biting flies. I had zero interest in getting bit up.  After Liberia in Costa Rica, I said, "No más".  My legs are finally healing up and I don't want anymore scars on my legs:)

Pectoral Sandpiper

Last year in June, some of you may recall that I was here with Gordon for the warblers and cranes.  We did well and had fun.  Being back in July was interesting for me because it was the first time I birded during this time of year in Wisconsin.  Most birders are currently focused on the lakeshore and inland farmlands due to the beginning fall migration of shorebirds.  It was exciting to find lots of different peeps show up daily in the Manitowoc harbor.  We had Ruddy Turnstones, Willets, an American Avocet, and many of the sandpipers!  Hudsonian Godwits were also beginning to make their way down!

Misty Sheboygan from North Point

As mentioned before, birding is my spiritual connection to the world.  It helps sort out the emotions.  The fresh air makes everything better.  And birding in Wisconsin is one of the most relaxing things a person can do.  Plus the people here are the nicest. Just stay away from politics! We had complete strangers begin talking about the latest person to get fired at the White House while on our treks.  Birding is sacred and that's the last thing I want to hear while on a road trip.  I'll catch up with the news at night.  

One of the MANY Caspian Terns along the Northeastern Wisconsin shoreline

If we had cloudy rainy weather for the day, I'd take a quick run to the shoreline for shorebirds.  I don't think I was ever disappointed on those days. The rain brought in lots of fun birds.  When the next day came, those birds would be gone.  I had a discussion with Doc Sontag about the shorebirds.  He was shocked this year that the birds weren't staying as long as they had in the past.  A Willet came for a day but didn't spend a week like in years past. 

Cedar Waxwing

 Wisconsin is a wonderful place to bird. But it will be good to be back home soon.  I look forward to my work starting up again and guiding a weekend trek out to the grasslands with Tucson Audubon soon. 

a juvenile Black-capped Chickadee dries off after bathing in the marsh at Woodland Dunes

For now, I'm wrapping up my work here. As for this blog, I'm behind!  I'll be writing on several Wisconsin birding hotspots which will include Horicon Marsh and Washington Island.  I also have to finish up my last two posts on Costa Rica. For now, I'll close with some hobbit thoughts. 

My town is very much like the Shire.  There is a deep history in storytelling and understanding our family lines.  It's fascinating.  When my Grandma passed, she left behind her high school yearbooks.  There I sat paging through all the young faces from the class of '49. They look very much like our kids today in school.  They all had dreams just like my own students do. I always wonder if they would have changed anything in their lives had they known then what is known now.  And I wonder to myself, what my own legacy will be? What will yours be?  Until next time.....

My Grandparents graduated in the same class.  Later they married.  I wonder what they were thinking about at this stage in their lives.