Drops Of Discovery

The very polluted Guy Tobin Trail of the DeAnza Trail.  It's here where the Ruddy Ground-Doves hung out.

This past weekend, another winter storm helped soften the moderate to severe drought in parts of our state.  At this time, all streams, washes and rivers are flowing at capacity....and then some!

male Ruddy Ground-Dove

Between the storm clouds, I decided to keep myself busy and revisit some very cool birds around the state. 

Female Ruddy Ground-Dove

It has been nearly two years since I last saw Ruddy Ground-Doves.  So I thought, why not? Here, near the US/Mexican border on a very littered DeAnza trail, I had very nice views of these two birds.

Sunset Point

But life.  Life has been crazy.  It gets in the way ALL the time.  Over the past few months, I have been planning two very big trips with my friend Gordon that could potentially propel us both closer to the 1000 life bird category.  Now remember, this blog is about the discovery and adventure leading to 10,000 lifebirds:)  And oh is it slow going right now. 

Inca Dove

The rain.  That beautiful and wonderful rain continued into my Sunday birding schedule.

near the Page Springs Fish Hatchery

So, Magill texted me and asked, "You up for finding a Tennessee Warbler?"  Since it was a lifer and I haven't had one in quite awhile, it was a no brainer.  On Sunday morning, I woke up to the cold rainy weather and just pulled the covers over my head. NOOOOO.  It's going to be such a long day driving back and forth from the Phoenix area! And to make things worse, my cat decided to snuggle with me.

American Kestrel

Then the text. "Are you coming up?"  Yes, but it's raining and snowing and cloudy and cold....and I'm lazy:) This is exactly why you need a birder friend to motivate:)

And what a gorgeous day it was around the Page Springs Fish Hatchery near Sedona.  It was a first for both of us.  We had heard about people birding there but we just never got around to exploring it. Which made us think....

a wintering Common Black Hawk!

......how much of this state don't we know about?!!!  I mean, we're birders!  We thought we covered pretty much all of it.  It appears that there are still secrets and surprises waiting to be had.

As our winter winds down, there is a dramatic pause with wintering birds and a sense that migration has already begun.  It's a tad early this year.  We are seeing birds move in February that should be moving in mid to late March.  Take for example, the Common Black Hawk above.  As of this date, I have found all summer dwelling hawks(minus the Short-tailed and Swainson's Hawks) before their mass March migration.  That is a first in my nearly six years of birding!

Gadwall

Birding is not easy.  Well sometimes it is.  We had such a great time exploring the area that when we finally got to the Tennessee Warbler spot, we were in a good mood.  As we pointed to where we thought the warbler might hang out, the bird popped up on cue for us.  We had great views as it sat there watching us before joining the Ruby-crowned Kinglets down the river.  It was a lifebird.  Just one.  But enough to keep me going.

a rare Tennessee Warbler

This blog is a work of love.  Every life bird has a story.  Some are very hard to find while others, like this Tennessee Warbler, are easy. 

So another lifer down.  And another 9,253 to go! I leave you all with a look at Arizona's doves(minus the Pigeons).  I swear that if you live in Arizona long enough, you'll find every North American bird:) Until next time....

Dreaming Trees

These Cottonwoods will be trimmed instead of getting cut down.  Many visitors signed petitions to keep the trees where they are. Storm damage had caused several of these trees to drop their large limbs around the San Pedro house prompting action.  These trees are home to several woodpecker species and owls and provide food and shade during the hot summer months. It's one of the few reliable places you can find Pyrrholoxias and Common Ground-Doves

This past weekend I quietly walked along the paths of the riparian corridors in Southern Arizona. 

Babs observes a rare juvenile Common Black Hawk on the DeAnza Trail

I was joined by Babs Buck for one of the treks.  We enjoyed wonderful views of many birds while celebrating the cooler temps again.

A Santa Cruz resident takes Molly, her horse, for a much needed exercise.

Our challenge? Could we find something rare? We went to find what we could find but without expectations.  It was a fun morning out.

Juvenile Common Black Hawk

It didn't take long before we spotted a juvenile Common Black Hawk!  It fed from grasshoppers along the Santa Cruz river.

The bird seemed to follow us along the DeAnza trail.  This hawk should be down in Mexico or Central America right now, but it has decided to hang around Tubac.  It has been an unusually warm fall so this may explain why this bird is still hanging around the Santa Cruz river.

While not rare, we found the orestera subspecies of the Orange-crowned Warbler.  It's not the most common subspecies here in the state.  Most of the Orange-crowned Warblers here in AZ fall under the brighter yellowish/green lutescens subspecies.

Orange-crowned Warbler(orestera subspecies)

This was an exciting addition to the other Orange-crowned Warbler finds.  Altogether, there are 4 subspecies. I can now say that I have officially seen 3 of the 4 subspecies.

lutescens subspecies

The lutescens subspecies is shown above with the orange-crown showing(rare).  The sordida subspecies was found on Catalina Island off the coast of California.  It has been mentioned that this bird may be separated as a new species down the road. It lives on the Channel Islands year round. 

sordida subspecies

Birding is so diverse.  You get as nerdy as ID'ing subspecies or meeting up with artists.  Here is Michael Summers inspiring onlookers with his talent at the Scottsdale's DeRubeis Fine Art Gallery.  Ideas were exchanged for an art show. It would be so much fun to collaborate with him BUT I need to clone myself.  Money for birding trips?  Or money for putting a photo gallery together? Such decisions!

Michael Summers at work

But on this weekend, I took it slow.  It was a quiet walk alone to several places.  I watched a juvenile Peregrine Falcon at sunset as I let my body absorb the cold temps.  It felt so good.  This summer has been relentless.  I am looking forward to the winter ahead.

Juvenile Peregrine Falcon

The trees along the riparian corridor are rich with life right now. 

The trees are about to sleep for several months.

Babs snapped this shot of me.  We had a great morning out.

And as I walk under these dreaming trees, I plan to take my birding into a quieter chapter of my life.