Quarantinis

Gambel's Quail

As I watch lines around stores form and snowbirds fleeing the city in the thousands to get back to their doctors in their home states, I stand on the sidelines watching humanity unwind.  Meanwhile, bird migration is happening on schedule as if nothing was really happening, giving me a false sense of security.  I am absolutely fascinated by it all. 

Copulating Killdeer

I counter crowds by finding my secret spaces to find birds.  I run to all the places I need to go before quarantine takes hold. I pick up house and garden project stuff.  I get the oil change done.  I visit Holly at the bamboo ranch to get my plants for spring planting.  And for the most part, I am ready to stay indoors full time. People are no different from birds.  They also have habits that can be predicted. 

Great Egret

As of today, Covid-19 has killed more than 2000 Americans in the US. Globally, it has killed so many more people. It's quite a show watching this "President" and his Corona task force deal with this crippling blow to the US. And now I watch this house of cards finally collapse around him at the cost of his supporters and everyone else who lives in this country. I cannot believe that some people think this is just a hoax!  

Curve-billed Thrasher

I'm not angry anymore.  I just don't care.  I feel for those infected.  If I get it, I'll be okay as well.  Humanity needs a shaking up. We have been abusive and complacent in this world.  I try to do my best to make progress.  I switched out all plastic bags this year for cool grocery purses that I can reuse over and over again. I got rid of plastic bottles for a hydroflask.  But the environmental damage Trump has done to the US is unforgivable. And now, here we are with this disease thanks in part to poaching and the illegal trade market in China. Middle and western African countries are going to take yet another hit on top of all the other things they have been dealing with like HIV, Ebola, bad economies, etc etc.  We are all connected.  And we are all to blame. 

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

I also think that there is more about this disease we DON'T know like when did it really start?  The first US case was reported January 21st.  NOW, let's go back to October when I traveled to Oregon.  If you've been following this blog, you might remember that I had a severe illness for a couple months.  I went to the ER twice.  The doctor's had said everything was fine.  I experienced GI issues, difficulty breathing doing easy things and in November and December, I had the desire to just die. 

Black-throated Sparrow

I am now feeling better.  There is still a smaller issue, but I went to the doctor again this past week to hopefully obtain the last bit of antibiotics I need to take out the last bit of this GI issue. Thousands of dollars and no answers to every single test they had done on me really made me frustrated. 

Anna's Hummingbird

Now let's fast track after winter break during the month of January.  Students were getting sick for more than several days.  In fact, they were out for weeks at my school.  I know this because all the teachers spoke about it.  We didn't get all the make up work in until that first week of March!  In my 24 years of teaching, I have NEVER had a flu take out that many kids for that amount of time.  Our attendance specialist was overloaded with absentee calls from parents.  The last three weeks of January and first week in February were terrible. This wasn't an ordinary flu.  Several students also lost their parents.  It's natural to lose a parent sometimes, but to have several students lose a mom or dad in a semester was not only sad and devastating but horrifying.    

female Anna's Hummingbird at my feeder

THEN, a teacher who is always healthy had an issue the last week of January.  She was sitting at her desk working when a student came up to ask her a question.  As he was speaking to her, some of his spittle hit her lips.  She remembered being grossed out by this and told me about it.  The next day, she couldn't function and disappeared for 4 days!  We were worried about her, but she came back the following week her normal crazy self. 

a very furry Nova chills on top a stack of freshly cleaned bathroom towels. 

Now if you're saying, "Chris but......" First, let me say this. These are just observations from a teacher of 24 years. Not fact, just observations. Here's the thing.  I work at a school where parents have weird jobs.  One student proudly told me her dad had just come back from Wuhan on a business trip after it was announced that the virus began there. We weren't taking it as serious back then. People travel over winter break and it doesn't take much for a disease to cross over and begin its work. Now these are just things that I began piecing together since my own mortality scare in October.  I NEVER get sick.  I don't trust this government we have now because they lie all the time.  I think things were building up to this moment back in January.  It was the silent enemy hitting pockets of humanity.  Now, there's no avoiding it.  In Arizona, we still can't get tested unless we are showing all the symptoms.  Trump is an idiot. We DO NOT have enough testing kits and WE ARE NOT ready. And now the US will pay the ultimate price.  But sure, Bozo.  Throw money at us.  That will fix everything!

Nova helps me

"Why don't you get tested now?"  Well because ONE I can't. There's not enough testing kits out there. And only people exhibiting the symptoms can get a test.  TWO.  I don't want to get reinfected again.  Hospitals, cruise ships, crowds and planes are a germ fest! And there are still people who want to continue their flight or cruise!  Unbelievable!  And how are children's daycares still open?  I live next door to one and there are still kids playing outside?!  I have a deep appreciation for the health workers, grocery store clerks and law enforcement agencies putting their lives at risk helping the public get through this crisis.  

Great Blue Heron at El Rio Preserve in Marana

I asked my students online what has been the greatest silver lining about doing their work at home.  It was reassuring to hear things like, "I get to spend more time with my family." or "I can learn at my own pace and take breaks when I need them." and of course the ever popular teenage response, "I get to sleep in!".  Some things never change. 

There were other responses that made me smile like, "I get to see your cats more Profe. I love your cats."  LOL!  It's true.  While I'm doing zoom or doing a video segment, I have cats who like to "help" me out.  One of the universal responses to that silver lining question was, "I get to spend more time with my dog or cat."  That made me smile. 

My Cooper's Hawk ate one of my Ladder-backed Woodpeckers

Finally, I am enjoying this quarantini moment in my life.  I am "forced" to enjoy living at home.  I am "forced" to work on my home.  I am "forced" to bird from my yard. I am "forced" to garden at home.  I never had enough time to do it all.  Now I have all the time in the world!  I choose to see the positive in this all.  It's a new challenge.  My birding has turned me into being a robin stroker...totally appropriate for the moment. And it's a treasure hunt. A game.  How many birds can I find in Pima county?  How do I stay away from the evil sickly humans who don't stand 6 feet away from each other? Seriously. And avoid the terrible people who are rude to each other in lines? This is a living video game! Avoid the crazy man who runs over the worker with his cart because there is no toilet paper(true story).  Oh it's a human shit show out there full of beautiful, sad and stupid human stories. On the plus side, gas couldn't be cheaper!

The White-winged Doves are returning to my yard again!

Spring migration is in full swing here in the desert southwest.  We all secretly whisper to each other that we are so lucky to live here because there's a lot of open spaces and a lot of birds!  But deep down, I know summer is going to be here in NO TIME!  Trump said that the virus should be gone by Easter.  Okay buddy.  Then he said it should be gone by summer because it gets warmer outside. He's a smart guy that one.  However, 115 degrees is hot and the virus has a difficult time living outside the body at certain temps.  Heck, a human can't live outside in 115 degrees for very long:) 

I head out with Celeste to do some night birding.  We listen for Elf Owls and Common Poorwills

And the other silver lining?  I control my eating.  I'm not driving an hour and half every day to school.  I can teach from my catio or side garden OR office.  Even better?  I can go for a walk in the morning like I normally would.  And I'm losing weight again!  I control HOW I do my job.  Not vice versa.  This pandemic is going to change so many things about how we do our jobs.  I'm hoping I can teach online for most of the week with 2 days of teacher supervision to make sure that students aren't cheating. And that they also get their time to socialize.  They did mention missing that aspect of school.  But I gotta tell you all.  I don't miss the classroom discipline part or the drug issues that plague most of the schools here in the US.  That's on the parents now.  I think some of them miss us:) Our schools in AZ are closed now for the rest of the year. I think everyone is in the honeymoon mode right now but it will slowly sink in as the pandemic wraps around our city more and graduations are cancelled.  Right now, everyone is acting like it's no big deal in Tucson. And that's how this disease is spreading.

A Great Egret flies over my head at Agua Caliente Park

Please stay healthy.  Spend lots of your time with your furry friends.  If you have a spouse, smile at them from across the house from time to time.  Maybe check in with them for dinner?  Wait!  Is that what dinner is all about?  Touching base with the ones you love?  What a great idea? Yes.  Some old traditional values still stick and are time honored.  How cool is THAT in this ever changing world?!  Until next time......I'm hoping:)

Snowy Arizona

This storm has been in the making for some time.  We've been hit with storm after storm here.  Visitors escaping the frigid cold temps of the North aren't so happy, but we, the locals who live here, have loved it. The night before the storm arrived, our local weather forecasters told us to get ready for the arctic blast. 

Schools were closed and an official "snow day" was declared. The night before we planned a trek to Saguaro National Park to take pictures. In the morning, there was just rain and then I heard Micheal yell from the dining room, "There's snow!"  Snow in midtown is RARE.  In fact, I don't ever recall seeing snow here.  The closest thing to white this neighborhood ever sees is cocaine or maybe a leucistic Rock Pigeon:)

As always with these two crazy friends, one was focused on using her new camera in the snow while the other was throwing snow balls.  We were amazed by the amount of water here. 

I counted birds and did my surveys at my local patch, Reid Park, taking lots of documentation photos.  For those of you who know Tucson, you know how hot it gets here.  So today was for Tucsonans.  There were so many happy faces everywhere. 

It was an unofficial holiday. For one moment, there wasn't any Christmas madness in the air.  The news focused ONLY on the weather.  And for the first time in a long time, I didn't hear that orange baboon's name ONCE.  We were just people in Tucson, in Arizona, having fun in the snow.

The weirdest thing that I witnessed was this cat below playing in the snow with his human companion.  They were doing a photo shoot together and this cat acted like a dog.  Never in my life have I seen a cat do something like this before.  The guy snapped his finger and the cat chased him on the lawn.  If I did that with our cats, we'd have a revolt!

Then there was the day after. WOW!  The views were incredible.

I continued counting birds and enjoyed the cool temps. 

Ferruginous Hawk

The birds were hungry after the storm. During the storm, they huddled under the bushes to stay warm. Every species acts differently in extreme weather. 

the Southwestern Song Sparrow

 Some people were stupid. In the pic below, we saw this submerged truck in Willcox around Lake Cochise.  It's either a stolen truck dumped in the grasslands OR a bunch of idiots who thought it would be fun to go "mudding" in the snow.  Either way, it looked like a perfectly good truck.

It was a strange weekend full of fun and rare snow birding. 

Curve-billed Thrasher

The wildflower show should be amazing this spring. In a way, it was sad saying good-bye to the storm because the summer temps will be arriving soon enough.

Marsh Wren

 For now, I'll try to take in every moment I can outdoors.  There's no rush:)

Until next time.....

The Wrath of Khanh

Rock Wren

Captain's Log: Stardate 5/23/16.  On a mission to find the elusive Montezuma Quail, Khanh explored the nether regions of Southern Arizona. A wildfire prevented us from going to the Peña Blanca region which has an extremely healthy population of this bird. We had to reroute to other areas near Portal where they were being seen on a regular basis. I gave him homework assignments from within Madera Canyon(where he was staying) as to where they hung out.  I was catching my "zzzzz's"

I plotted coordinates to the old Jasper's Yard(now Bob Rodriguez's place) where a pair were being seen daily. I encountered good friends Mary Jo, Melody and Jackie to help us aide in any recent sightings.  We spoke with Edith.  We spoke with visiting birders.  And we did our best to find this secretive quail. 

Magnificent Hummingbird

But first we headed to Madera Canyon where I heard them calling from a hillside.  Instead, we saw this Magnificent Hummingbird. 

Western Tanager

It wasn't until we reached the George Walker House that we'd get Khan on an active pair foraging in a neighbor's yard. 

Vast and wide expanses of rock and canyons we had traveled for a reliable look at one of the most difficult birds to capture on camera.  

And of course, while we were exploring, we found lots of wonderful birds to keep us going. 

Black-headed Grosbeak

Khanh was intense!  He was so focused on the quails that he almost missed these amazing snakes!  I used to cringe at snakes but I may be changing my mind about them.  For on this trek, I wasn't scared at all.  I was curious.  For the first time, I actually thought they were beautiful.  I didn't jump or scream. I just watched to make sure they crossed the road safely. 

Knobloch's Mountain Kingsnake

It has taken me years to get over my fear of snakes.  And please understand, if one jumped out at me, I would still scream in the most unmanly way possible:)  These two species of snakes are absolutely stunning. 

Gophersnake

The Gophersnake was 4 feet long!  It was hard to capture the whole snake in my lens!

While we waited for the Montezuma Quail, we found lots of other thirsty birds needing a drink. 

Curve-billed Thrasher

Patience.  It's all about patience.  

Painted Redstart

Other quail showed up like the Scaled and Gambel's Quail....but no Montezuma.  Of our 3 quail species here, the Montezuma is THE most secretive. 

Female Gambel's Quail

Then we heard a male Montezuma Quail calling.  His call marks his territory but also lets the female know where he is.  Khanh grabbed his camera and secretly followed Jackie to an area of grasses where they were creeping around.  He saw them.  And they saw him.  

Stock photos of Montezuma Quail

And like magic, they disappeared after realizing there were people watching them.  Khanh never did get pictures but I DO know he'll be back one day to capture amazing photos of these birds.  For now, here are the birds he truly focused on for this trip.  Elegant Trogons, Owls and the Montezuma Quail. 

Elegant Trogons are tricky as well, but with patience and timing, these birds are likely to be found

We had a great time searching for birds and I hope we get to do it again someday. 

I see a sequel in the making.  Probably something like, "The Search for Quail"  It would make a great two parter.  For now, I need to sleep forever. 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....