Reunion

The moment I arrived home, I knew I'd be going to a lot of family events. One of those events was the family reunion up in the northern part of Wisconsin.  Many years ago, my father searched for his biological mother and found her in the forested little town of Antigo.  During times of ignorance, it was expected a woman go "visit her Aunt" up in the North if she found out she was pregnant out of wedlock. In my Dad's case, a woman by the name of Lorraine gave birth and gave up her first born, my Dad, for adoption. Because that is what you did. The biological father didn't want to have anything to do with Lorraine or my Dad. She was put in a difficult place. My grandparents couldn't have children and desperately wanted a child. It was here that they found my father and adopted him in the forests of the northern woods of Wisconsin. It was all "hush hush" back then. 

After a year of investigation, my father and his biological mother eagerly agreed to meet.  It was a very happy reunion. When it happened, he was exposed to a much larger family.  They embraced him as one of their own. This time around, I'd finally get to meet that side of the family.  And from a birding point of view, I knew I'd find some great birds around the cabins of the northern woods of Wisconsin.  

Swamp Sparrow

The forest surrounding the cabins was a lovely emerald.  I saw my first American Beaver and heard the nightly calls of Common Loons on the lake. 

Between family, I went off into the woods and watched the loons call to one another on the water.  It was beautiful. 

Common Loon

This was the first time that I've actually birded in the northern parts of Wisconsin. So I added many new birds to my Wisconsin state list. 

Night would arrive and we'd break piñatas full of adult beverages. 

My sister tries her hand at the piñata. 

My mother hits the piñata with a whack. She is a pro.  I mean, she did raise 6 kids:)

My mom hits the piñata with a resounding crack! and small bottles of liquid fire fall out.  Adults rush to the ground for these delightful beverages. 

I wonder (and worry!) about the immature American Robin nestlings that are a little too close to the main cabin.  Over 30 people sit around the nest while the adult robins try to feed their babies. In fact, there are baby birds everywhere. 

immature American Robins

This fawn is alone and cries for his mother. Humans freak out as the baby animal follows everyone to the campfire.  What the humans don't know is that the mother didn't abandon her baby, she was only feeding herself so that she could feed her baby later on.  Apparently, we were just babysitting:) It's a number one human "no no". Leave the fawn alone. The little deer will be okay. 

I watch helplessly as J-man discovers a nice chocolate doughnut. 

7 ways of attacking a chocolate covered donut

Then I see what the sugar has done to him.  A Sith baby!

All around us, the forest is alive with young birds leaving their nests. 

Black-capped Chickadee

And nearby, their human counterparts are chasing bubbles. 

 As I grow older, I find myself understanding some of my siblings better than others.  The distance and time have changed us all.  Each developing and defining their own lives in their own worlds.  If I am not careful, I could lose touch with each of them.  For the first time during my trip home, I felt a disconnect.  It was a bizarre feeling.   

Family is everything.  I wish I could fix and make everything better for everyone, but it is not mine to fix. I love them all. But ultimately we live our own lives.  I guess the most important part is to let them know that I am there for them.  I've always been an independent person so when I got home, I discovered new family dynamics. I find myself thinking about my family more than my birds which is how it should be.  But for the first time in my birding life, birds do not distract me from this visit. 

Eastern Kingbird

I've always tried to understand my grandparent's and parent's relationship with their own siblings. The idea of losing the familiar bond with a sibling is a scary thought.  I'm not a talker on the phone nor do I live near my family so the first several days home is like an overload of information.    

I had a blast with the nephews and nieces.  Some are growing up too quickly.  I was able to spend some time with quite a few of them, but there's never enough time to spend quality time with all of them. 

My nephew goes for a bird walk with me. We explore feathers, bugs, fish and birds. 

This trek was good and necessary.  Mixing birding into the mix was a fun challenge.  Over the next several weeks we'll explore some excellent areas for birding in Wisconsin while catching up with the family. Until next time......

Stay On The Path

Common Loon on nest

 A place that I had always wanted to visit was Monhegan Island off the coast of Maine. I wanted to give Kathie and Gus some alone time (and a break!) from us birding every day.  Thankfully Magill was around doing some work in Maine.  She had told me over the years that Monhegan Island was a fantastic place to go birding for rarity chasers.  If any rarity was going to show up in this state, it would be on Monhegan Island.  And it's all true.

She didn't have to twist my arm too hard to go.  There were some potential lifer sea birds on this trip.  Unfortunately, we were a little too early for the "main" sea bird event, but it was great doing some exploring in new habitat with Magill.  We always choose new places to bird because they are not birded or are underbirded. So on our way to Monhegan, we did a two night cabin stay along the coast checking area blocks for the Maine Bird Breeding Atlas. 

The trek out to Monhegan Island was beautiful.  There was lots to see.  Our mission?  To find a rare invading Eurasian Collared Dove. We rolled our eyes and laughed, but for Magill and myself, it would be a new state bird.  These doves come to my feeder in Arizona.  In fact, they live around Magill's house in Phoenix. But here we were chasing this silly dove on an island. 

I have this dove memorized.  I know its flight pattern and body shape from quite a distance. Because of that distinct flight pattern glide, I found it right away and of course, it flew down behind a house behind a bunch of trees. Magill didn't see it.  So because it was a rare bird for Maine, we wanted to get photo documentation.  But before I took another step, Magill warned about the people on the island.  According to many Mainiacs, they are assholes. Or at least, most of them were.  So we had to stay on the path. Easy. We're always so good about following the rules.  Or so we thought. 

a bird that is looking to take Maine hostage, the "rare" invasive Eurasian Collared Dove

 For the first time in my life, I used playback for this dove and it worked like a charm.  We, I thought, were safely on a public road until a crabby Lobsterman (are there any other kinds?) came out and tried getting into a verbal fight with us.  We ignored him and walked away.  It seemed like he followed us a little bit from his house, but we just kept walking on the road with him shouting at our backs. 

This sign is a complete lie.  And note it says during bird migrations.  So they really don't want anyone there

After that experience, I was done with the island.  The sign above is a complete lie.  Why would I invest money into this island if many of the people there were jerks? I felt bad because Magill loves this island and I think she was disappointed that I didn't think much of it.  I just thought to myself that if people were that hostile towards visitors, why in the world would anyone want to spend money at this place.  It was a pretty island, but so is Machias Seal Island and the hundred other islands along the coast of Maine. And you don't get hassled at those locations. 

Tree Swallow

 However, we did encounter some nice people watering their yards.  They had bird houses out for Tree Swallows.  We counted birds along the path. And let me add something positive here.  There weren't any bugs:)

And it was scenic.  Sure.  Absolutely beautiful.  I laughed because when Magill and I are together, we always have an adventure.  But something was very different this time around!  And it bothered me a lot. 

I can't put my finger on it but the Common Yellowthroats on the eastern side of the US are different acting and even looking than our yellowthroats we have here in AZ. 

 Magill was doing a great job about marking down breeding codes for the island and I didn't care!  I am going to admit this in writing.  I wasn't into the birding. Maybe it was the experience with that guy, or maybe it was because I had seen the birds a million times and just wanted to hang out by the ocean with a cup of coffee. I had fun with Magill, but it wasn't Arizona nor was it Wisconsin.  I had no personal connection to the common birds found in Maine. And it was a weird thing to feel.  

When we got back onto the mainland, I focused on bird song and recorded vocalizations of Blackburnian Warblers. We also explored a new spot, Islesboro, which was a lot of fun because it was another island of mystery birds.  I understand why people love Maine. It's a beautiful state.  I began to wonder though.  Was my former Cheesehead friend favoring her Maine grounds over her Arizona ones?  I felt like she had become a Mainiac!  I hated the thought of losing Magill to Maine. We have so many more Arizona adventures ahead! But there is something about Maine that gets into a person's psyche.  I get it. But it's more of a love affair for me and not a steady relationship:)

Common Eiders at the port of Monhegan Island

 One of the most memorable experiences we had together didn't happen on the islands, but at a blueberry barren.  There, we heard the fluttering heart drum calls of the Ruffed Grouse!  It was amazing. 

Eastern Towhee

 And there were sparrows! 

Savannah Sparrow

But back to Monhegan.  As we headed back to port to the mainland, we had more sightings of Atlantic Puffins.  I never get sick of observing these birds. 

Atlantic Puffin

 I let this post sit for a little over a month before I wrote it because I had to separate my feelings on this experience.  I wouldn't say Monhegan Island was a negative experience nor a positive one.  Just more of a disappointment. I also had to resolve my feelings about why my attitude was so negative about the bird counts on that day.  It really bothered me. 

We watched this local garden while listening to a territorial Virginia's Rail

 When I eventually arrived in Wisconsin, I had figured out why I had been so frustrated on Monhegan Island. I wanted to be home with my family and doing work for the final year of the Wisconsin Bird Breeding Atlas.  And I felt like I was wasting my time in Maine when I could have been "working" and using my experience for the atlas in my hometown.  It's often underbirded there and I know things about my hometown that others do not. Bernie had passed on his "warbler insights" with me before he died(I'll discuss this in a later post). As a kid, I played in every little nook and cranny possible. And here I was in Maine getting yelled at by a loser while chasing a "rare" dove that I have seen a million times.  So I apologize to Magill for my less-than-stellar attitude during those days.  I was worried about my Dad and wanted to be home helping out on both fronts. 

That's not to say we didn't have fun because we did:) I was just birding with a heavy heart.  So I will say this, birding is therapeutic:) I'll never say never, but it's unlikely I'll go to Monhegan again. Even if you "stay on the path", you'll get yelled at.  If you live in Maine and this is one of the few places a birder can find rarities, I suggest moving to Arizona;)  Until next time....

Loon-y Tunes

Bill Williams National Wildlife Refuge

Sometimes.  Just sometimes this birding epic can be a little too much. On a gamble(or was it twitching?), we did something crazy. Four and half hours later, we found ourselves along the Colorado River and in the infamous Lake Havasu area. I had never been there before and it was the last area of Arizona that I needed to explore.  The purpose of our exhausting mission?  Loons.  Lots and lots of loons. And a certain wintering Goldeneye.

People will say that we are crazy, but I am on a quest to add state birds to the Arizona list this month.  We weren't just chasing a rare Yellow-billed Loon; we were chasing a large group of waterbirds that are normally rare for much of Arizona except for the Havasu area. They have been waiting for me to add them to my state list:) This is a very long trek for many Arizona birders. Therefore it's one of the least visited birding regions in the state. Well that is until the rarest loon in the world, the Yellow-billed Loon(Diver), decided to stop in Arizona. Their population is about 10000 worldwide and very little is known about this species of loon since they breed up in the icy regions of the far North. It is listed as an endangered bird due to habitat loss, oil spills and over fishing.

Hattie points us to our FOY American Robin! 

For this trek, 3 humans and a dog explored bird spaces along the beautiful Colorado River. The journey turned out to be very rewarding.  We didn't have just one loon; we had an epic 4 species of loon!!! I should have titled this post "Your One Stop Shopping Center" because we added Herring Gull, Red-necked Grebe, Yellow-billed, Red-necked, Pacific and Common Loons, and Barrow's Goldeneyes.  Two birds would be lifers.  And 4 birds would be added to my state list!  That is a VERY good day.

Ring-billed Gull

With my parks pass, we were able to get into Katherine's Landing for "free".  It costs 20 dollars for people without the pass!!!  As Tracy Morgan would say, "That's crazy!"  I became excited when I saw water.  And lots of it.  There was a network of piers in the area and it was COLD!  So we ventured onto moving piers.

Cold and windy, I make a fake smile.  I'm freezing!

We called out birds left and right. "Clark's Grebe! Wood Duck! Golden Eagles having sex..um...copulating!" But where was that Yellow-billed Loon?

Searching for that Yellow-billed Loon at Katherine Landing

As we scanned the waters, the wind kept the piers moving.  Normally I am one to stomach the bouncy waves but I think with me focusing on far away birds in a scope and a moving pier, I became a bit queasy.

Top from left to right: Yellow-billed Loon(wiki), Pacific Loon; Bottom left to right Red-throated Loon, Common Loon

  

Loons are amazing.  They also make incredible vocalizations.  ID'ing a Loon in breeding plumage is easy.  It's when they are in their winter forms that can challenge even the best of birders.  Loons love deep waters and most often are seen from the distance if you are on land.  But apparently waving a white shirt in the air will attract these birds......hmmm.  Something to try next time.

Many times a scope is necessary and even then it can be difficult. Such was the case with the Yellow-billed Loon.  It hung out further away due to the human traffic.  Here is the image I was able to capture(below).  

When I visit Alaska and Canada, I hope to get better photos of this bird one day. The bill is large and upright making it stand out!

You can note the size differences.  In the photo, the YBLO hangs out with a Common Loon.  It's more upright and larger making the COLO look like it's "slouching" in the water.

 Thankfully, the other loons(in the montage above) were seen from vantage points where I could get nice photos. The Pacific Loon was sick and unfortunately didn't live long after that photo was taken. I was just a newbie, but after that sad incident, I programmed our Wildlife Rescue program into my phone. Today the bird's body can be found at the University of Arizona for study. The Red-throated Loon has a spotty back and is lighter gray overall in its winter plumage.  It was seen from a pier in California.  My Common Loon shot was taken in Mexico just feet from the shore! But of all the loons, the Yellow-billed is the rarest of the 5 loons in the world.  

 I think my love for loons began as a child on the lakes of Minnesota where we'd vacation often.  Their calls were the most haunting and beautiful sounds I have ever heard.  My number one favorite movie of all time is "On Golden Pond".  This movie heavily uses the Common Loon as a metaphor for life and relationships. And once a year, I revisit this incredible movie about this aging journey we all must make.

A rare Herring Gull-gulls are fun to ID! Really!!

 As we were getting ready to leave, we heard a loud blood curdling scream.  I thought, oh oh.  Magill has gone off the deep end!  As I spun around, I was happy to see that she hadn't fallen into the cold waters but was horrified to see that her million dollar scope was sinking into the dark waters!  She was able to recover the scope before it completely submerged into the depths of the unknown. It was like that first ding on your newly purchased car:(

Common Goldeneye

It was also time to claim the Barrow's Goldeneyes that are typically found in Northern Arizona this time of year.  What's interesting about these birds is that they look similar to the Common Goldeneyes except that they have a white mark on their face in the shape of a semicolon instead of a white dot.

Barrow's Goldeneye-drake

These birds can be tricky as they can blend into large rafts of Common Goldeneyes. And they often seem to hang out further away from the place you're standing:)  My first view with them was with Magill through her still wet scope.  Thankfully it all still worked.  Then I noticed there was a pair near one side of a stretch of land with water on both sides.  Since it was a life bird, I went down the walkway to get pics of the bathing birds.

Magill pointed out to me there differences between the female Common and Barrow's Goldeneyes.  I think I got this one right.  The bill on the female Barrow's Goldeneye is completely orange.

After this trek, it was time to call it quits.  There are no big years left.  There just is.  And that's a good place to be. It's time to educate younger birders and give back to a community who has given me so much.  As for the loons?  They're currently still hanging out:)  Good birding!

The Rocky Roads of Mexico

From our condo on Playa Miramar

Several months back, we had planned our yearly trip back to Rocky Point, Mexico.  It required me to renew my passport and do some research around the area.  Plus my purpose for this trip was to find the Yellow-footed Gull and study up on my gulls. 

Common Loon

But during Easter week, it's never quite that easy with thousands of people walking along the shoreline.  Luckily, we stayed in an area known as Caborca....away from the city.  However, we had to go to the city for supplies.  And I had to find another bird known as a "Surfbird".  The port is full of rocks and the Surfbird prefers this habitat.

The fishing port of Rocky Point

I don't know why, but I've always found Mexican chaos beautiful. It's full of traffic, annoying trash, people and wildlife.  The city itself was a gem when it came to finding birds.  Where there are people; there are opportunistic sea birds. 

Snowy Plovers

As I walked along the beaches, I discovered so many plovers darting around the seashells.  

The Salt Marshes of Morúa

After our return from the city, I began to truly set out and discover a new section of Rocky Point.  It is known as the estuary of Morúa. 

Morúa Estuary

I had seen this massive blue expanse while walking the salt marshes.  I knew there was something special in that area, but I didn't know how to get to it.  

Gulls attack!

So we drove the dusty roads along the golf course near the Mayan Resort and found the place.

Surfbird

This area is a bit strange. A wealthy hotel known as the Mayan Resort "owns" the entire area.  How does one own nature?  Anyhow, they have a golf course along one side of the road and on the other is the magical and large expanse known as the Morúa estuary.  The area is monitored and protected by the Intercultural Center of Desert and Ocean studies or CEDO. 

While this estuary is located in the area "owned" by the Mayan Resort, it is protected by CEDO and that means it's open to the general public. All I will say is "Wow!"  This area is a true gem for birders and a MUST see!  The desert is an amazing place and the desert habitat along the Sea of Cortez is no exception.  

Yellow-footed Gull

A familiar "Weeeeep!"  pulled me out of my reverie as a Wilson's Plover flew directly in front of me.  I believe he was warning me to stay away from something.....perhaps a nest? 

Wilson's Plover

Along the way, I found Dunlins and Red Knots in their breeding plumage. The hotel itself was a rich sanctuary full of different birds and landscape. There were many migrating warblers, flycatchers and orioles! 

A place for the rich to mingle and be isolated from the "others"

In fact, a Scott's Oriole captured my attention as we neared the entrance.  Only then did I see an incredible flock of warblers(Wilson's, Yellow, Yellow-rumped and Nashville!) in the South American mesquite trees!  Once inside the resort, I saw something very interesting.....

A magnificent Sora is ignored by so many people at the hotel.  Just another brown bird.

A Sora spun around in circles while people casually passed this bird by on the bridge. Several locals spoke Spanish around me and assumed I didn't understand a word.  They mumbled to each other, "What is the gringo looking at?"  A young lady replied, "Some stupid bird." I let it roll off my shoulders, but what they did next really irked me.  They wanted to take a picture of their family right where I was standing. Really people? How often does one get to see a Sora swirling around out in the open??!!!  So I didn't budge.

Anyhow, they had to wait until I was done with my observation. Hey, I was a paying customer and had several drinks at their bar:) The hotel had little pools of water with all kinds of sandpipers hanging around at the edges. 

A Dunlin

I still have several more areas of study that need to take place in Rocky Point which will include Cholla Bay and another estuary to the south, but those will wait until next year.  I was a bit angry on our way back to the US as I was pulled over for "speeding".  Which I wasn't.  The local police just wanted money.  Thankfully I speak Spanish and we were able to pay the criminals their fee without much hassle.  Mexico is beautiful but the local law enforcement is at times quite crooked. These police are underpaid in their own country so they have to make it up elsewhere. One word for that incident.  Annoying.

"Roberta"-the Heermann's Gull at Viña Del Mar restaurant

The above shot is of "Roberta".  She is a Heermann's Gull who lives at a local restaurant downtown. Perhaps part owner? This gull was born with a gimp leg and loves to visit the local clientele during breakfast, lunch or dinner:) Just to chat:) Needless to say, the owner of the restaurant loves her very much.  I'm not sure if she is really a "she", but I enjoyed listening to the owner's story about Roberta. 

Forster's Tern

If you are interested in visiting Rocky Point, check out Jan and Andy's place on Playa Miramar.  We've been down at their rental home many times and have had a safe and wonderful stay.  Andy and Jan, both Phoenix residents, are wonderful hosts who live in Rocky Point most of the year. Their home is right next door to the rental.  For birders, this is a great place to explore at low and high tide.  There aren't many people along the beach in this area which is a good thing for birders.  The Morúa estuary is very close(about 15 minutes by car) from their place.  The habitat is varied on their road and is home to the Large-billed Savannah Sparrows, Burrowing Owls and so many other birds. I spent my days walking up and down the beach and dirt roads counting birds. As a side note, because I've been out studying birds, I haven't been able to catch up with everyone as I'd like.  But I promise I'll be stopping by soon. 

A juvenile Pacific Loon

Until next time......

Northern Shoveler  8

Red-breasted Merganser  14

Gambel's Quail  2

Pacific Loon  6

Common Loon  3

Eared Grebe  6

Black Storm-Petrel  1

Magnificent Frigatebird  3

Blue-footed Booby  6

Brown Booby  25

Brandt's Cormorant  12

Neotropic Cormorant  80

Double-crested Cormorant  40

cormorant sp.  40

Brown Pelican  110

Great Blue Heron  3

Great Egret  4

Snowy Egret  3

Reddish Egret  1

White-faced Ibis  4

Black Vulture  5

Turkey Vulture  6

Osprey  5

Bald Eagle  1

Red-tailed Hawk (Western)  1

Sora  1

American Avocet  26

American Oystercatcher  8

Black-bellied Plover  14

Snowy Plover  2

Wilson's Plover  4

Semipalmated Plover  2

Killdeer  6

Spotted Sandpiper  2

Greater Yellowlegs  1

Willet (Western)  6

Lesser Yellowlegs  2

Whimbrel  11

Long-billed Curlew  9

Marbled Godwit  8

Red Knot  1

Surfbird  33

Sanderling  40

Dunlin  16

Baird's Sandpiper  3

Least Sandpiper  4

Western Sandpiper  25

Short-billed Dowitcher  2

Franklin's Gull  2

Heermann's Gull  178

Ring-billed Gull  151

Western Gull  2

Yellow-footed Gull  23

California Gull  17

Herring Gull  10

gull sp.  200

Least Tern  2

Caspian Tern  17

Common Tern  8

Forster's Tern  10

Sterna sp.  50

Royal Tern  10

Sandwich Tern  2

Elegant Tern  32

large tern sp.  100

Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  22

Eurasian Collared-Dove  22

White-winged Dove  4

Mourning Dove  5

Burrowing Owl  2

Anna's Hummingbird  1

hummingbird sp.  1

Belted Kingfisher  1

Western Wood-Pewee  1

Empidonax sp.  1

Say's Phoebe  8

Ash-throated Flycatcher  1

Loggerhead Shrike  2

Chihuahuan Raven  2

Common Raven  7

Northern Rough-winged Swallow  12

Barn Swallow  5

Cliff Swallow  10

Verdin  2

Curve-billed Thrasher  2

Northern Mockingbird  1

European Starling  5

Orange-crowned Warbler  3

Nashville Warbler  1

Common Yellowthroat  2

Yellow-rumped Warbler  3

Wilson's Warbler  3

warbler sp.  1

Spizella sp.  5

Black-throated Sparrow  4

Savannah Sparrow (Large-billed)  5

Song Sparrow  4

sparrow sp.  2

Western Meadowlark  2

Great-tailed Grackle  27

Scott's Oriole  1

House Finch  15

Lesser Goldfinch  4

House Sparrow  32

For more birds, check out Wild Bird Wednesday!