The Second Spring

This Northern Bobwhite(subspecies Masked Bobwhite) is an endemic to Arizona and Sonora, Mexico.  They disappeared from the wild when ranchers destroyed their habitat decades ago.  But with conservation efforts and a lot of volunteer work, this bird may once again make a comeback.  

This time of year in Southeastern Arizona is truly magical. It's dangerous, exciting and full of surprises.  Oh it's still hot and muggy, but the summer rains combined with shorebird migration "change" the Arizona birding into a unique third period of birding or what we call here, the Second Spring.  

Ash-throated Flycatcher

Before I get started with this week's post, I wanted to give you some information about a species that no longer lives here in Southeastern Arizona, the Masked Bobwhite(a most likely extinct-in-the wild subspecies of Northern Bobwhite).  If you live in Southeastern Arizona and would like to help bring back a species that has been extirpated from the wild, click on this link here. They are also looking for volunteers to help out with the reintroduction of these very important quail.  Here's a message from the coordinator. "We need a volunteer who can come out to the refuge and conduct general quail care (you'll be trained) on Sundays. We need a real commitment to do it every Sunday. It's about an hour worth of work but could be more if you also want to help with vegetation management. If you're interested please contact Stan Culling stan_culling@fws.gov 520-823-4251 x103 Thank you!"

the parent female Hooded Oriole feeds her young one

Now onto this week's exciting times. These next 3 months of birding in Southeastern Arizona are some of the hardest and yet most rewarding times in the state.  Cassin's Sparrows begin nesting here as the monsoon rains hit the grasslands. Several other species are actively nesting like the Yellow-billed Cuckoos and Buff-collared Nightjars.  Meanwhile bird species like the Lucy's Warblers, Bell's Vireos and Hooded Orioles are feeding their young!  It's really a complicated range of birding here! One group is just beginning to nest while another is feeding young!

Costa's Hummingbird

On top of that, hummingbirds are beginning to move through the area.  The first hummingbirds to move south are the male Rufous Hummers.  Other species like the Plain-capped Starthroat also pop in for a visit.  They aren't breeding here, but they are searching for food sources.  Local hummingbirds like the Costa's Hummingbird above are finishing up with their nesting season.  It's really fascinating stuff and makes Arizona birding interesting and different from other parts of the country. 

Black-tailed Prairie Dog

 This past week, I wanted to do some photography work.  I headed out to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum to check out the wild birds breeding on their grounds.  It did not disappoint! 

Also of note?  If you're into reptiles and amphibians, this is the time of the year to visit. The rains, along with that heat, gets these critters moving.  So while you're watching birds, enjoy the herp show going on. 

Desert Spiny Lizard

 During this time of year, birders need to be careful with torrential rains, flooding and running washes.  They also need to bring water with them at all times.  If there's an issue with your vehicle, you want to make sure you have an extra larger container of water with you. 

Rufous Hummingbird

 I surveyed ONLY 2 places this past week, The Desert Museum and Agua Caliente Park.  This means that I spent an hour to four at these locations.  I made other smaller stops from my vehicle.  Those counts were 20 minutes or less. These stops are primarily to check for migrating shorebirds. (And to build up my strength again to hike longer distances)

Couch's Spadefoot

 Due to the Covid pandemic, I have been working almost every day in my yard/garden.  It has been incredibly rewarding.  Soon our butterfly show will also begin.  We've put in these amazing pollinator plants around the property and it has increased our hummingbird and butterfly numbers in Midtown Tucson.  I am really excited about August and September as we see butterfly numbers really increase.  I've created little butterfly islands to make the watering easier.  

I'm a huge turtle, toad and frog fan.  During an important birding quest this week, I observed lots of amazing frogs and toads come alive and begin to breed in the rain puddles.  It's incredible that we have such diverse amphibian life in our desert.  Every time I see a frog or toad here, I just think about how crazy it is that they can survive in this climate. 

A Sonoran Toad actively feeds from a colony of ants nearby

 Now onto this week's chase.  Staying closer to home this year in Pima County, I've been trying to find new bird species within the county and add new ticks.  Well, another interesting species, the Painted Bunting makes their way into Arizona during the monsoon season.  They aren't common but it isn't unusual to find one here during these next 3 months. They're often far away and difficult to see in the shade.  But I can now say that I have a decent photo of this bird.  It's just taken me a few years. 

naked eye view

We had stunning close up views of this bird casually feeding off the roof of the visitor's center and around the nearby garden below.  The bird was very actively feeding which leads me to believe that he will be a one day wonder.  

the western subspecies of a male Painted Bunting

What does an Arizona sunset look like during monsoon?  This is looking out our window towards the Catalina mountains. This is not an exaggerated picture.  Monsoon is truly a unique Arizona treat.  We hope for more rain this year.  August usually provides us the much needed precipitation. 

I refuse to sit and watch the world pass me by.  While we "recovered" from Covid and are no longer contagious, we still experience some moments of coughing and fatigue.  During my trek with a friend to the desert museum, I wore my mask, walked around for 4 hours in the humid temps and almost passed out.  I felt terrible.  Thankfully, my friend understood that I needed to go home.  Once I got home, I crashed and slept several hours.  I let my body recharge a few days and tried it again.  The second time was better, but when I overdo it, I do a little coughing....and sleep:)  Apparently this is normal.  This is yet another reason why people need to wear masks, wash hands and social distance.  It takes forever to feel better. 

Burrowing Owl

As we approach the month of August, I plan for several new birds for that life list.  Plan A and B were taken away from me.  But Plan C has been one I've been waiting to take off the shelf and dust.  Hopefully it will happen.  Stay safe and until next time....

A Novel Approach

Costa's Hummingbird

With a global pandemic upon us all, the Covid-19 virus has really turned everything upside down. Spring break has been extended until the end of the month for students. I don't think I've wrapped my head around all of it yet. 

A beautiful walk.  No people.  Just nature. 

Last week I prepped my work to go out of the classroom with my students in case we have to go online. Of course no one told us to do this, but common sense told me to prepare for the inevitable. 

Inca Dove

In Tucson, it's more of a blessing than a curse. Warm weather. Great outdoor scene. Migration happening.  What's not to love? One. I get to be home every day during migration? What??!! Two. It's the nicest time of year here so do I work on house projects or bird?  Three. Cancelled events that bring in way too many people to Tucson?! YES! Thank you corona! And sports have been cancelled?  That's like the cherry on top of the sundae! What will people do with their free time?  Hopefully get out and reflect.  Take a nice hike or bike and go somewhere wonderful in nature. 

A rare Townsend's Solitaire

And my garden!  I can work on my garden!  

Rufous-winged Sparrow

Sadly, yet smartly, my friends from Wisconsin cancelled their trek to Arizona.  It sucks.  I was looking forward to their visit, but I completely understand.  I would have done the same thing. Being on a plane or cruise is just plain dumb right now.  Even after telling my students about the dangers, they still went to Italy, Hawaii and elsewhere.  Now they are having a nightmare of a time getting back.  No one listens to the teacher.  I give them an "F" for not listening to my lectures. The congestion in the airport alone would make me go mad.  And the exposure rate is MUCH greater. Yikes.   

a nesting Cactus Wren

I am bothered that there isn't any toilet paper available in the stores.  And if you have someone who always uses up the last toilet paper roll in the house and doesn't tell you, like my other half, then it makes it even worse!  We had to go to 4 stores to find ONE package of toilet paper!

Pipevine Swallowtail

I guess being a bird has its advantages.  They don't need toilet paper.  This virus has put a hold on everyone's lives.  Birders have had trips cancelled. But in a way, I'm thankful for this time out.  It really forces us to appreciate the beauty around us.  I actually got drunk from the sunshine over the past couple days. If this is what it's like to be retired, I'm all for it. 

Gila Woodpecker in nest

We had rains last week and the ground is nice and soft to put in new plants for the year.  

Black-throated Gray Warbler

Warblers, hawks, vireos and other birds are making their move north. Never in my career have I been given 2 weeks to linger around the natural corridors of Arizona at free will.  It's kind of a gift. I can sleep in late if I want. 

Stay safe. Be smart. And enjoy the solitude if you can.  Spring is here and the birds are moving north.  It'll certainly take your mind off of things.  

It doesn't matter where you are.  Nature is there. Until next time. 

The Transitional Slide

Northern Cardinals sing their hearts out this time of year to attract a mate

As winter fades into spring, the wintering birds begin their migration.

White-crowned Sparrow

February in Arizona is relatively a quiet time in the birding world.  Some rarities show up, but overall, it's a great month to catch up on yearly ticks in a relaxing manner.

The San Francisco Peaks

This year, so far, has been great for early hummers.

Anna's Hummingbird

During our trek out to the Desert Museum, we find several Costa's Hummingbirds actively feeding around the gardens.

Costa's Hummingbird

Their brilliant purple dazzles the naked eye.

But even rarer?  A male Allen's Hummingbird is hanging out with the Costa's in the area.

A rare male Allen's Hummingbird

February, March and April are busy times for bird guides.  While I am not an official bird guide, I find myself with many birders needing our Arizona specialties.  It's fun.  I meet new people and I get to watch their reactions to their "new" birds. One day, I'll be able to guide full time, but for now, it's stick to the program:)

During a tour to the Heard Museum, I found this Native American painting.  It accurately depicts a Great Horned Owl's preference for skunk. I imagine the meat is quite aromatic.

Verdin

With my parents at Boyce Thompson Arboretum, we notice Verdins and feeding Anna's Hummingbirds.

At the Desert Museum outside of Tucson, my parents admire the unique looking cacti and succulents.

While we visit all these amazing places, I stop and count birds whenever I can.

At one location, I discover a rare White-throated Sparrow.

rare White-throated Sparrow

At Saguaro National Park, we admire the moon in the background of a beautiful Saguaro.

This is the time of year when I begin to question why I'm sitting on my butt instead of chasing life birds.  Well, soon.  Very soon I'll be taking you all to a special place in search of several special birds while visiting with friends.  For now, I sit at a holding pattern. Until next time....

The Tucson CBC-Winterhaven and the Rillito Wash

Each year, Tucson Audubon has their annual CBC(Christmas Bird Count). And each year, I participate.  However this year something changed.  I became a group leader for the first time.  And so our team had a mission to find common and rare birds in Area 23 or as we like to call it.....Winterhaven.
  

From my photo series called, "Holiday Rush" back in 2011.  The blur represents this crazy time of year and also how fast this CBC went this year!

Winterhaven is a wonderful urban forest full of old trees and landscape. It's also a place Tucsonans visit to get into their holiday spirit!

Some of the largest Aleppo Pines can be found in this neighborhood.  Nesting hawks, owls, and ravens use these trees to nest. 

To make the task less daunting, I was joined by friend Gordon Karre and Jan Wilson.  It was a crazy weekend full of scouting for the "big day". While none of us expected life birds, we did find lots of wonderful birds just a couple miles away from my house. 

Black-tailed Gnatcatcher

On Friday, I went with Jan to scout several parks within our area.  Our mission was to cut some time on Sunday and find the reported Bronzed Cowbirds, a roving Cassin's Kingbird, several Great Horned Owls and a family of Harris's Hawks.  Together, with the help from the local neighborhood, we were able to pinpoint known locations of their infamous feathered and VOCAL residents. Some of the people actually replicated their calls!  Not bad at all! I asked them questions about what kinds of things they saw.  One lady described a group of hawks hanging out together in a group.  Then I asked her, "Were they brown?  Did they have yellow legs?" And she invited us to come into her backyard to have a look. Our hunch was correct.  Harris's Hawks.

Harris's Hawk

On Sunday, we were able to find all of them.  It was early to rise for the Great Horned Owl! And it was our first bird for the day as a team!  We also had a Red-breasted Nuthatch in the neighborhood on Friday.  But come Sunday, we weren't able to locate the bird again.  Instead, we found a White-breasted Nuthatch!

A Redhead!  And yet our Tucson CBC circle dipped on two of these birds!  Had I known, we could have poached another group's area to add them to our list!  These were seen on Saturday night!  But  midnight Sunday is when the count officially begins.  

Saturday, Gordon drove down from Phoenix. Here in Tucson it rained all morning! We tried to find the reported Baltimore Oriole and ended up looking at the fantastic waterfowl around the Sweetwater Wetlands and Reid Park.  After a cold and fun day out in the field, we had a nice dinner at a local Thai restaurant. 

Canvasbacks

Then Sunday came.  Being titled "Area Leader" is bit scary.  It's a big responsibility that required me to pull up the map and really focus on areas with the most birds that were inside our area. Time is a major constraint on these counts. We also worked on some hunches.  Some worked out; some didn't.   I know Area 23 well as I drive it everyday to work.  But it's still a bit overwhelming to lead and guide a team.  I didn't want to fail in the eyes of the Master Planner, Mr. Rich Hoyer.  For two years, he took the time and showed me how a birder must scout for birds in both known and unknown locations.  He KNOWS the routes and areas of his CBC circle well. Not all CBC count leaders are like this. Afterwards, we had a wonderful potluck. Rich made a delicious chili. Everyone eagerly listened to those rare bird reports from around town.  And there were quite a few! 

A Red-tailed Hawk watches us

As I sat with these birders, I thought about how amazing they were. I may not know many of them in person, but I read their reports daily.  There were so many stories, secret birding spots and bird behaviors shared during this dinner.  I went home wanting to know more.  Do more! As birders, we learn crazy things from each other.  We are our best teachers.  

Pied-billed Grebe

A personal goal for me on this count was to explore one of the last wild stands of cholla(pronounced ch-oh-ya) in the neighborhood.  Our Cactus Wren population within the city is disappearing.  Their populations are either declining or stable(depending on which end of the city you're on) due to habitat loss from housing developments.  Many homeowners don't want this plant around their property. 

Cactus Wren

I notice that wherever there isn't cholla cactus, Cactus Wrens are either not present or there are very few. I have them nesting at my work site in Oro Valley within a healthy preserved section of Sonoran desert.  There these birds nest every year in several chollas. Curve-billed Thrashers will also use this very important cactus for nesting. 

A Curve-billed Thrasher nests in a most protective Teddy Bear Cholla

Humans, however, hate this "jumping cactus" as it can be quite painful on the skin. It will hook onto anything that passes by and if that happens, you won't forget the sensation. That is how it spreads:) We had good news on our count that day as we found 3 Cactus Wrens!  That was my highlight from our trek around Area 23 for the day. 

My favorite pic from the day!  Gordon is TALL and so are these Cholla Cactus!  What a trooper! No Cactus Wrens were seen in this area.  There was some nesting evidence in a couple.  As Gordon went deeper into the patch, he didn't notice much in the way of old nest material but he did find plenty of Mourning Doves hiding!

Overall we found 43 species for the day which is higher than past CBC reports from our area.  We added 6 new species to the list! Love was in the air as we observed Red-tailed Hawks "in the mood" and a Costa's Hummingbird showing off for his lady friend. He danced high above us with his high pitched whir.  

Female Costa's Hummingbird

We discovered all birds on our lists from Friday and Sunday minus the Brewer's Blackbirds, Townsend's Warbler,  Rufous-winged Sparrows and Hutton's Vireo.  The top birds from our area that were "must finds" for the count were the American Pipits, Bronzed Cowbirds, and Vermilion Flycatchers. All achieved!

Bronzed Cowbird

Our first team bird wasn't the dreaded Rock Pigeon but the Great Horned Owl!  Our last bird for the day was a beautiful Red-naped Sapsucker. 

Eurasian-collared Dove

The most common birds were easily the Lesser Goldfinches(181 birds), House Finches(359 birds), and Mourning Doves(318). Overall we had a wonderful weekend outdoors!

Target birding is back on for the next two weeks and should be interesting.  How interesting? You'll have to stay tuned for more!  As one year of goals finishes up, a new one will begin and it will take me to far away places:) Opportunities, like this CBC, give me a better insight about what's going on locally with our birds.  When we take this sliver of data and add it to what's happening globally, all of us involved begin to see the bigger picture.  To get involved in the US with the Christmas Bird Count, contact your local Audubon and find out when they have their CBC.  They need volunteers who can hike or just sit in their house and count birds at their feeders. It's really a great experience!  More next week....